It’s almost time to say goodbye to the year 2009. It has come and gone before our very eyes!
To some of us, we wish it could stay longer for one reason or another but to many it’s good riddance that the year is finally coming to a close. Whatever desires, time certainly waits for no man.
We had our good times and we have had bad times in 2009 too. As we reflect on these aren’t we glad that for better or worse, we are still alive and kicking?
Time actually doesn’t forget but time will certainly heal.
Even in our darkest day in 2009, there must be something good that we can extract from it. What is this “good”? Can we find it in the midst of life’s rumble and tumble?
Someone did say and I totally agree, “Life is tough but if you have the ability to laugh at it you’ll have the ability to enjoy it.”
You can’t undo anything you’ve already done, but you can face up to it. You can tell the truth. You can seek forgiveness. And let God do the rest.
You know, forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting.
Indeed, you are richer today if you have laughed, given or forgiven.
And if you haven’t done any of these, it is still not too late to do it. Just let your selves go. You are actually a bigger person than what you think!
Let’s embrace 2009 for the last time as we bid it adieu and let’s welcome 2010 with a big and cheerful heart.
Indeed, tomorrow is brand new day!
Though no one can go back and make a new start, but anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. What’s keeping us?
Happy New Year everyone and God bless.
Here's Westlife with an inspiring song entitled "Flying Without Wings", the music-video is courtesy of "Gawjus 109". Sing along with the lyrics and recharge the human spirit in you.
There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me.
“The twelve days of Christmas.” Remember that one?
What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge which won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?
This week, I found out. The story goes…
From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics.
It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.
-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.
-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.
-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.
-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.
-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.
So (believe it or not) there is your "history" for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.
Merry (Twelve Days of) Christmas Everyone!
This animated video-clip made by "chrispradeep" about the 12 days of Christmas is unique and worth viewing. Thanks to Chris for sharing.
Christmas is nigh and let me ask you when Christmas time is here every year what does Christmas actually mean to you? A time to enjoy and a time to reflect on what you have achieved so far and perhaps on what you couldn’t too?
Indeed, it is a time of celebration, a celebration of life, the good and healthy life that God has blessed us with if we are indeed the lucky ones for we must remember there are still many who are in pain or are struggling to make ends meet and for these there will be no celebration.
It is also a time of giving and for many a time for forgiving too.
Christmas conjures up a picture of Father Christmas, Christmas tree with multi-colored lights, sledge rides in the snow and perhaps Christmas songs ringer and linger longer in our ears more than anytime of the year!
It’s the holiday season and big sales are on in every shopping centre that you can find.
It’s also bonus time. To the employee, a time of great expectation but to the bosses or the businessmen, Christmas time can be a big challenge and a headache too, isn’t it?
But is that all Christmas is about? We know it is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ but how many of us really know what is the significance of this birth?
It is hope that the world not only remembers Jesus’ birth but more importantly what he came to do. There is a solemn side to Christmas but alas, does the world care?
I hope we will take time to reflect, to remember Jesus for who he is and also for what he had done. Get to know the real Jesus real close, not what the world has generally made him out to be.
The Bible tells us because of what he had done, man can expect to live forever even after death in fellowship with God the Father, our Creator.
What a beautiful hope, a wondrous love and boundless grace that's being held out to sinners like us. That’s the Father’s love for all of us, incomprehensible but true!
So as we celebrate Christmas with thanksgiving, let us give a thought to Jesus, the Son of Man who gave his own life for the lives of his “friends” and the Bible again tells us we are his friends if we follow him.
Indeed, what greater love is there than this that a man is willing to lay down his own life for a friend?
If your life is not right with God, shouldn’t you make it right this Christmas? Go to a church, experience forgiveness and get God’s blessings. It’s never too early nor too late.
To all my readers and friends, I wish you all a Blessed Christmas and a Wonderful New Year
Cheers!
I hope you like this catchy number from Boney M entitled "Mary's Boy Child" the music-video courtesy of "Klonproduct".
Life is not always fair for if it is, it isn’t life at all.
Because life isn’t fair there lies the endless challenges and motivation that probably keep men and women reaching for the stars!
However, there is some consolation perhaps in the knowledge that the mass of men (and women too) actually lead lives of quiet desperation. Only that most of them are not telling.
You thought you’re damned but consider this: there are many people out there who are actually worse off or more damned than you.
So, when your chips are down don’t despair. Consider this: There is always someone somewhere in a more worrisome situation than you.
Someone once said, “We are born wet, naked, and hungry. Then things get worse.” Didn’t it?
Indeed that’s probably true for most of us but when the worse is over, there will always be something better to look forward to. As they say, there will be sunshine always after the rain!
The key to success in this life is you’ll have to chase after your dreams vigorously if not passionately, after all a man reaps what he sows.
That’s the way it is with life. The advice is: don’t stay permanently in the rut if ever you’re caught in one.
Consider what these wise men and women have said about life.
“Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” ~Mark Twain
“My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between, I occupy myself as best I can.” ~Cary Grant
“There is much in life that doesn’t have to be done instantly. There are phone calls that don’t have to be returned immediately. There are many difficult problems and decisions that actually improve when they are left to simmer a little while. The rhythm of life is intricate but orderly, tenacious but fragile. To keep that in mind is to hold the key to survival.” ~Judge Shirley M. Hufstedler
“Life is not a 100-yard dash, but more a cross-country run. If we sprint all the time, we not only fail to win the race, but never even last long enough to reach the finish line.” ~Joseph A. Kennedy
“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say,” “I used everything you gave me.” ~Erma Bombeck
It’s alright if we didn’t make it in life. In the end, it’s not how much we have but how well we have lived; not how long it is but how good it is, are what matters.
I conclude with this often quoted prayer that’s found from an inn in Lancaster, England:
“Give us Lord, a bit o' sun, A bit o' work and a bit o' fun; Give us all in the struggle and sputter Our daily bread and a bit o' butter.”
Cheers and God bless.
Let's listen to this beautiful hymn entitled "Deeper In Love" sung by Don Moen, the music-video courtesy of "worthlee".
This is my 100th blog to-date and that calls for a little celebration.
Whether the readership of my Blog has gone up or not since I started to blog in December 2008, it doesn’t matter.
All I wanted was some place where I could just litter my thoughts for whatever they are worth and I think I have found it in this Blog.
It has given me numerous hours of joy and fun in creating stories, selecting music-videos that I like and I must have sipped thru’ literally thousands of quotable quotes to find those appropriate ones that I wanted to mention. Wow, it was painstaking to say the least, at times even exhilarating but it was good.
I don’t know who else I must thank apart from my host, Google’s Blogspot.com for making all these possible. God forbid that I should miss any one out whose credit is due. If I did, please forgive me. I want you to know that it’s inadvertent and not deliberate.
A big Thank You goes to all you good readers too for your patience and support. I hope you have enjoyed reading my pieces as much as I have enjoyed putting them down in this Blog for all to see.
Some day this Blog will have to come to an end. I don’t know when but so long as I have my breath and pen and God helping I will continue writing for as long as my love for it has not waned.
Well, you could say I have been smitten by a love bug for some time; that bug which is “reading and writing” I hope will stay on strong for the rest of my years!
You know, William Makepeace Thackeray once said, “There are thousands of thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up the pen and writes.” Do you know that you could be one of them too?
“The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium.” ~So said one Norbet Platt. This observation is very encouraging.
In conclusion allow me to echo what James Michener had said which is this, “I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.” Just imagine it! You could say I am in love with that too.
Did I say celebration somewhere well I am ready to go? So, I’m signing off but it’s just for now. I’ll be back.
Cheers!
Here's a lovely yet quite poignant oldie sung by Eddie Arnold entitled, "Yesterday, when I was young". Thanks to Khaled Seleem for sharing. Follow the lyrics and enjoy.
This is a rather interesting piece taken from my Scrapbook, the author is not known but the wisdom is worth sharing. I shall post it here. It reads as follows:
Remember the 5 simple rules to be happy.
1. Free your heart from hatred. 2. Free your mind from worries. 3. Live simply. 4. Give more. 5. Expect less.
No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start now and make a brand new ending.
God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain; But He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.
Disappointments are like road humps, they slow you down a bit, but you enjoy the smooth road afterwards. Don’t stay on the humps too long. Move on!
When you feel down because you didn’t get what you want, just sit tight and be happy, because God is thinking of something better to give you.
When something happens to you, good or bad, consider what it means. There’s a purpose to life’s events, to teach you how to laugh more, or not to cry too hard.
You can’t make someone love you, all you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to the person to realize your worth. The measure of your love is when you love without measure.
In life there are very rare chances that you’ll meet the person you love and who loves you in return. So once you have it, don’t ever let go; the chance might never come your way again.
It’s better to lose your pride to the one you love, than to lose the one you love because of pride.
We spend too much time looking for the right person to love, or finding fault with those we already love, when instead we should be perfecting the love we give.
When you truly care for someone, you don’t look for faults, you don’t look for answers, you don’t look for mistakes. Instead, you fight the mistakes, you accept the faults, and you overlook the excuses.
Never abandon an old friend. You will never find one who can take his place. Friendship is like wine, it gets better as it grows older. Encourage others with a demonstration of your love for them.
I love Dolly Parton, dubbed America’s Queen of Country Music. Who hasn’t heard of her?
Did you know that she was born in Sevierville, Tennessee USA on 19 January 1946, the fourth of twelve children? That makes her my contemporary by age but unlike me an unknown, she is a world-class celebrity.
She remains one of the most-successful female artistes in America with twenty-five number-one singles and a record forty-one top-10 country albums.
She is also a hugely successful songwriter, having written more than 3,000 songs and has been inducted (in 2001) into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
She is known for her distinctive soprano, sometimes bawdy humor, flamboyant dress sense and voluptuous figure.
Indeed, her unique natural voice and style is beyond compare. An excellent artiste I must say.
Listen to this selection which I have chosen and you’ll see what I mean. The title of the song is entitled "Letter to Heaven".
If God had a blog, I wonder what He would write or say.
Could it be about the glory of heaven (not yet revealed) or the follies of man? ~The triumphs of his creation and/or his disappointments perhaps?
But why should he be so telling? Who would be his intended audience? What is his purpose? Would it make any difference if he did? You would probably ask the same.
Didn’t he advise a long time ago that the whole duty of man is to “fear God and keep his commandments” (~Ecclesiastes 12:13); and expressed his desire that in the end, none should perish but that everyone would come to repentance and be saved (~2 Peter 3:9)?
But will God blog? Just a passing thought anyway.
Of course, there is no need for Almighty God to have a personal blog in order for his word to reach us.
He has already spoken thru’ his prophets and apostles of ancient times and his words are well documented in the Bible for all to read.
He is still speaking to us today thru’ his many servants and disciples whether on-line or off-line, in every which way that he knows how to reach us, but the problem is have you heard? Have I heard?
He’s is not the problem, I think we are.
If we haven’t heard what God has to say to us, isn’t it time we found out?
Don't wait for “six strong men” to take you to church!
God bless.
Don't miss seeing this video courtesy of "cathycat1023". It could change your life.
Beauty, they say is in the eyes of the beholder. So is “Truth”.
Everybody sees the same thing but in a different light. Some see it and surprisingly, some don’t.
Two people can look exactly at the same thing and see something totally different, agree?
Indeed, no one is quite the same.
Have you ever asked yourself why do you believe in the things that you believe in?
Is there such a thing as blind faith?
What then are the bases for your beliefs?
Buckminster Fuller (an American architect and a 21st century thinker) has this to say, “Belief is when someone else does the thinking.” And we don’t want to be like that, do we?
This brings to my mind what the Buddha said a long time ago, which is this. He had said:
“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”
There maybe a lot of truths in that but as I have said earlier truth much like beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
The Buddha is of course entitled to his opinion but so are we.
“This is how humans are: we question all our beliefs, except for the ones we really believe, and those we never think to question.” ~So said one Orson Scott Card. Isn’t that paradoxical but true?
In the God-thing, Miguel de Unamuno puts it this way, “Those who believe that they believe in God, but without passion in their hearts, without anguish in mind, without uncertainty, without doubt, without an element of despair even in their consolation, believe in the God idea, not God himself.”
Consider what Catherine Marshall said in Christy (1967), which is this: “Those who never rebelled against God or at some point in their lives shaken their fists in the face of heaven, have never encountered God at all.” Really?
Well, what other people say or write especially those in authority have a lot of influence on us, don’t they? So my advice is to be careful in what you read or hear. Don’t just follow blindly as blind following could have disastrous consequences.
Keep an open mind and always digest what you have read or heard.
Don’t be afraid to ask our God for wisdom, a discerning mind and a righteous heart. Who knows Almighty God may well give you this like he did long time ago to King Solomon when the latter asked for wisdom above anything else.
If we take in everything that people write or say as the Gospel truth like for instance the way people generally follow from the reading of health books even respectable ones, we could die of a miss-print!
In the end, believe it or not (anything for that matter) is really up to us. Yes as Shakespeare had put it a long time ago, “To be or not to be, that’s the question,” isn’t it?
I think we cannot do away with decisions and beliefs in our everyday life. They are important like breathing and exercises but so are the bases for our beliefs. One justifies the other and vice versa and together they make us whole.
I guess in life, we have to apply our hearts and minds all the time and then choose wisely.
Take it this way life is interesting but not necessarily easy. It is fragile yet intricate, tenacious and challenging. To keep that in mind is to hold the key to survival. To me, indeed it is.
God bless.
Let's listen to Jim Reeves sing the beautiful song entitled "The Flowers, The Sunset, The Trees" brought to us courtesy of "164will".
When your chips are down and life doesn’t seem worth living, take a trip out-of-doors.
Immerse yourself in Mother Nature. See, contemplate and marvel at her wonders.
Indeed, a breath of fresh air once in a while out-of-doors is good for you and you’ll be so glad that you did.
An Out-of-doors experience is not only useful to inspire poets but also beneficial to all man who longs for an awakening of his own soul.
Enjoy this poem while you’re contemplating your next visit out-of-doors.
A poem by Stromboli Smith.
“I climbed to the top of a mountain one day To see the sun setting in glory, And I thought, as I looked at his vanishing ray, Of a perfectly splendid story.
'Twas about an old man and the ass he bestrode Till the strength of the beast was o'ertested; Then the man would carry him miles on the road Till Neddy was pretty well rested.
The moon rising solemnly over the crest Of the hills to the east of my station Displayed her broad disk to the darkening west Like a visible new creation.
And I thought of a joke (and I laughed till I cried) Of an idle young woman who tarried About a church-door for a look at the bride, Although 'twas herself that was married.
To poets all Nature is pregnant with grand Ideas--with thought and emotion. I pity the dunces who don't understand The speech of earth, heaven and ocean.”
Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko in their book “The Millionaire Next Door” have this to say and I quote:
“Most people have it all wrong about wealth in America. Wealth is not the same as income. If you make a good income each year and spend it all, you are not getting wealthier. You are just living high. Wealth is what you accumulate, not what you spend.”
“How do you become wealthy? Here, too, most people have it wrong. It is seldom luck or inheritance, or advanced degrees or even intelligence that enables people to amass fortunes. Wealth is more the result of a lifestyle of hard work, perseverance, planning and most of all, self-discipline.”
The above says it all, doesn’t it? And who says wealth cannot be earned? Until recently, executive pay and bonuses in America were out of this world!
If that happens in America, it can also happen anywhere else in the world.
To become rich, it seems that one has to be stingy with money, that’s the first rule. Indeed, I think the rich of today wouldn’t have gotten where they are if they had not been careful on how they use or manage their money.
Indeed, it has been said, “A penny saved is a penny gained.” And there is an old proverb which says, “A fool and his money are easily parted.” Isn’t that true, even today?
The second rule which is hard work, perseverance, planning and self-discipline are too much of a bother to many; and probably that’s why so few of us in the world are really rich today.
We shun hard work and planning; have no self-discipline and cannot persevere, don’t we?
I see a new generation now that wants to get rich quick but is not prepared to put in the kind of work and sacrifices that our fathers and fore-fathers had done.
It’s about time somebody comes out to say this. There are no short-cuts to success or to riches either. Money just doesn’t grow on trees!
If you want money, you’ll have to work hard for it and when you have it the advice is, do not squander it.
Invest your money wisely and you’ll see it grow, then you’ll be rich. It’s as simple as that. Try it but just don’t be disappointed if you don’t get there.
Now, is there anyone out there who doesn’t want to be rich?
Cheers!
Thanks to "guru006" for giving us this music-video, taken from the movie "Fiddler on the roof". Sit back, relax and enjoy.
It has been said that being in a good frame of mind helps keep one in the picture of health.
George Bernard Shaw once said, “All sorts of bodily diseases are produced by half-used minds.” And I think there’s a lot of truth in that.
Now, the question is how to keep a good frame of mind when everyday in the daily papers we are bombarded with all kinds of negative and disturbing news.
It hurts to know, the world is actually rich yet poor.
Hunger, diseases, human sufferings and injustice are not just prevalent in many parts of the world, but are literally right at our front door. So do tell me, how are we to have a good frame of mind?
If nothing else works, we have to remain strong, think happy thoughts and change our very own perception of the world around us to something more palatable, I guess.
Have yourself a breath of Heaven like what Hazelmarie ‘Mattie’ Elliott wrote:
"Every now and then, when the world sits just right, a gentle breath of heaven fills my soul with delight..." (~Hazelmarie ‘Mattie’ Elliott, A Breath of Heaven)
However, if you still have the blues and cannot help thinking of the topsy-turvy world that we live in, I suggest you take time off and go made some marmalade or get busy with your hands. Just do something useful.
Indeed, it's amazing how it cheers one up, takes the blues away, just to shred oranges or to scrub the floor. Try it.
We need to use our minds to their fullest, to think as our Creator would want us think, for what we do and who we become depends a lot on what we think.
Minds that think seldom wear out but those that don’t often rust out, if you are not careful.
A Swedish proverb says, “Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours.” Really?
So forget about chasing the big stuff, why not learn to enjoy the little things - there are so many of them like reading, writing a blog or tendering to a garden for instance.
As they say, the best things in life are free! And why can’t that be? Like the air we breathe and the friends we have. Isn’t life great?
The way to go is: “Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures.” This is what H. Jackson Brown, Jr., advises in his Life's Little Instruction Book.
Irving Berlin puts it this way: “Got no checkbooks, got no banks, Still I'd like to express my thanks - I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.”
What’s there to complain about, so have we!
In conclusion, I like what J. Brotherton said and that is this, “My riches consist not in the extent of my possessions, but in the fewness of my wants.”
To keep that in mind is to stay happy, healthy and wise.
Often we take for granted that flowers are ingeniously pretty and sweet but have you ever wondered who made them?
Indeed, if flowers are a piece of God’s creation which I think they are, they reveal a side of God which we probably never knew. What incredible craftsmanship!
Don’t you see, no two flowers are quite the same and indeed, no Michael Angelo and their like could ever sculpt and paint the way Almighty God has done?
In flowers, God’s tenderness and loving care are depicted for all to see. How awesome and sweet?
Flowers are truly a thing of beauty and a joy forever! A bunch of them blooming in your sight can take your breath away.
Without them I can’t imagine what our world would be like?
Jacques Deval had once said, “God loved the flowers and invented soil. Man loved the flowers and invented vases.” How pathetic?
Henry Beecher said a long time ago, “Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into.”
But that shouldn’t give man the right to pluck or kill them off as he wished, as like trees, they are also living creatures.
To me, flowers carry the future seeds of life and should be allowed to bloom into fullness to fulfill the mandate which their Creator had given them.
In conclusion, I would like to share this poem with you which I find rather interesting:
“Have you ever seen a flower down Sometimes angels skip around And in their blissful state of glee Bump into a daisy or sweet pea?” ~a short poem by Jessie Lane Adams
It has been said that bread feeds the body indeed, but flowers feed also the soul. Yes, can you imagine what humanity would be if God did not create the flowers? Think on it.
The famed evangelist Billy Graham, when asked how he wish to be remembered said this,
“That I was faithful to what God wanted me to do, that I maintained integrity in every area of my life, and that I lived what I preached.”
Bravo, that’s very well said. My hat’s off to Billy Graham.
I respect and admire the man but how many of us can really emulate him or even come close to what he said or did in his life. None, I guess.
We know it is not how long we have lived that matters but it is how well. In the end we all will be remembered by who we actually are or by what we have done, isn’t it?
Like it or not, life indeed is our only chance left to deliver whatever it is that we always wanted to be or to do. A sobering thought, indeed. So, have we lived what we preached or wanted to?
As for me, I want to be remembered as “Me” whatever that may turn out to be. Yes, I have always wanted to be just me, not a copy of someone else.
Heck, whatever it’ll be, I’ll have to leave it to those who wanted to remember me, but it would be nice to think they would say that I was a kind-hearted and generous soul, God-loving and fun to be with.
Bruce Lee had said this, “The key to immortality is to live a life worth remembering”.
What kind of a legacy would you like to leave? Think on it.
In conclusion, I shall leave you with these remarks from some famous guys to think about.
Brandon Lee once said, “I don’t want to be remembered as “the son of Bruce Lee”.
"You are remembered for the rules you break." ~Douglas MacArthur
"I would like to be remembered as a man who had a wonderful time living life, a man who had good friends, fine family - and I don't think I could ask for anything more than that, actually." ~Frank Sinatra
"I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free... so other people would be also free." ~Rosa Parks
"Our sins are more easily remembered than our good deeds." ~Democritus
"I wish it to be remembered that I was the last man of my tribe to surrender my rifle." ~Sitting Bull
"I do not suppose I shall be remembered for anything. But I don't think about my work in those terms. It is just as vulgar to work for the sake of posterity as to work for the sake of money." ~Orson Welles
"Fancy being remembered around the world for the invention of a mouse!" ~Walt Disney
Teresa Teng (b.1953 –d.1995), the famed Taiwanese songstress is no longer with us but her beautiful sweet voice is instantly recognized throughout East Asia and her songs remain immensely popular among the Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian listeners.
Picture shown is courtesy of Wikipedia.
It is often said, "Wherever there are Chinese people, the songs of Teresa Teng can be heard."
Many of us didn’t know that Teresa Teng died suddenly from a severe asthma attack while vacationing in Thailand at the age of 42.
She was given a state funeral in Taiwan, with the Republic of China flag draped over her coffin and the former president Lee Teng-hui was in attendance among thousands in mourning.
Teng's singing style is one filled with simplicity and sincerity. Indeed, she has the magic to make every song she sings literally come alive.
This is one of my favorites, a song first recorded in 1974, called the “Rhythm of the sea”. I find it very soothing and invigorating.
The song symbolizes the longing for freedom, with a lady strolling on the beach watching and appreciating how the seagulls are braving the dark clouds, the wind and the agitated waves over what appears to be a raging storm coming in from the sea.
I hope you like it too. Thanks to “hkship” for sharing this lovely music-video. Enjoy.
I’m just a country boy, always have been and though I now live in the city, my heart and soul still belong to the place where the meadows are always green and where cockerels crow every morning at the crack of dawn without fail.
I have lived more than 40 years in the city yet I have not lost my love for the country life where I was raised in my childhood and my youth.
Those were the days in the country when school bags were light and to walk a mile or two to school was the norm rather than the exception.
How I'd love the sun and would go fishing, fly a kite or stroll rather aimlessly with a friend when the holidays came. No need for car, got bicycle can roam already and what a joy it was!
We knew then what it was to be disciplined when we disobeyed orders or did wrong in the eyes of our elders. Even though we held our heads high, we had always respected and submitted to authority.
Life was simple but for many of us, life was not necessarily easy. We had not only our studies to do but we had our household chores in almost equal measure too! Somehow we prevailed, and hard work didn’t wear us out at all.
The good thing was we never bore a grudge against anyone for whatever disciplinary action which they inflicted upon us, and because of that I guess we learnt a lot about life and matured at a young age, which actually benefited us a lot in our adulthood.
I am sure that if you were a country boy or girl yourself, you must have gone through the same kind of experience which I have just described, maybe even more.
Today, they say times have changed, so have kids. Kids maybe a lot smarter now but alas, many have not necessarily turned out good.
O, how I wish when we retire we could live in the country once more, in the countryside where friendships are easy, life is simple and uncorrupted; where the air is clean, food is fresh and traffic-jams are never heard of. But who wouldn’t?
Yes, in a vale of a place where rippling streams flow and flowers still grow wild; ducks are heard, squirrels are seen, larks sing, buffaloes roam, and indeed where cockerels still crow! What a wonderful place that would be.
Now, if you have not heard Alison Krauss sing before, turn up the volume and listen to this beautiful heart-warming song by Alison entitled, “You’re just a country boy”, music-video courtesy of “huffman142”. Thanks to “Huffman142” for sharing and God bless.
She is one of America’s great female country music performers.
Yes, Reba McEntire (born March 28, 1955) is a Grammy award-winning American country music artiste who’s singing career and breakthrough success came in the late 1980’s.
She produced and released a series of successful albums and number one singles in the 1980s and 1990s.
Sometimes she has been referred to as "The Queen of Country," having sold forty one million records in the United States and fifty million worldwide. She ranks as the seventh best-selling female artist in all genres and is the second best-selling female country artist of all time.
She had originally planned to follow her mother’s footsteps to become a school teacher but fate had it, she pursued a singing career instead, a career that spanned more than 20 years and that made her one of country music's most influential female vocalists and one of the most well-loved entertainers.
Indeed, she credited her success to her mother who had taught her and her siblings how to sing at a very young age.
Her singing style is unique and I particularly enjoy the following 2 hits.
1. The Greatest Man I Never knew, a beautiful duet with Kelly Clarkson, the music-video courtesy of "mido 1975".
2. Cathy’s Clown, the music-video brought to us courtesy of "beingme84". Thank you for sharing.
I wrote this synopsis about one year ago which I circulated only to some of my church-going friends. I think the article is interesting enough for a wider audience. So I am posting it here for your reading pleasure as well as for my personal record. Read on and hope you enjoy this piece.
I was introduced to the book “HALFTIME” by Pastor Lim Soon Hock at a recent Men’s Breakfast Meeting at PJEFC and I thank him. I am aged 62 but still find this book fascinating and relevant, though I wish I had read it years earlier.
My thanks also go to CY Choo for lending me the book, without which I would not have had the pleasure of writing this synopsis.
I think the book is addressed mainly to people who have made it in life, people who have attained a good measure of success but after that didn’t quite know what to do with the rest of their lives. It’s about living a fulfilling life and leaving a valued legacy, one that one can truly take satisfaction in.
“Halftime” is not a book about where or how to attain wealth and fame (“success” in the secular sense), but rather that after having arrived at success, how to apply it and ourselves to worthy causes and to the good of humanity. It’s about “giving” back.
To those who have it (it could be your time or money, or both), I encourage you to take a good look at this book.
Written with layman eloquence, Bob Buford’s book is indeed a very readable book. It is not heavy reading even for the not so serious reader. However, for anyone to write a synopsis of it, that’s a different story!
Indeed, I find the challenge of writing this synopsis quite a daunting task because the book is not exactly an autobiography nor a novel. Nonetheless, I think the ensuing “stress” is probably worth it. Anyway, it’s a good way to burn off all those unwanted “calories”!
To me, Bob Buford’s book is a little instruction book, a kind of wisdom book, bore out from lessons and insights gleaned from his personal life encounters or experiences, the kind, a synopsis will never be able to do justice to. Therefore, my apologies if I have missed out some important elements, it’s inadvertent and not deliberate.
Let me start by giving you a little biography of the author, gleaned from what Buford had actually said of himself.
Bob Buford is very much an ordinary American who rose to riches from a middle-working-class family in the mid-west in the sixties. He considers himself a fortunate kid, meaning when young, he was given “far more opportunity for growth, personal development, and financial rewards than most Americans”. However, his father had died when he was young (in fifth grade) and his mother had to raise him up and 2 other siblings almost single-handedly.
After the death of his father, thru’ true grit and sheer determination his mother had founded a private radio and TV company, which was to be turned over to him years later when his mother retires. However, at the young age of 31, fate had him take over as President and Chairman of the company after the sudden and untimely death of his mother in a hotel fire.
Under his capable leadership, the company grew by leaps and bounds. By the time he was 44, he has hit the “success panic” syndrome, meaning that he had success and everything that money could buy but yet he finds himself “so frustratingly unfulfilled.”
Tragedy struck a second time, when his 24 year old son, an only child and apparent heir, died in a drowning accident, which left him severely devastated at heart and to rethink about his own life. Sadly, all his successes in business and family life could not save his son.
The book, “HALFTIME” is one of the results of his reinventing his life and which spawned the founding of “Leadership Network” in the USA, of which he now heads full-time. The “network” has become a very popular and valuable support service and resource centre to leaders of many large churches.
Now, if your life could be conveniently divided into 2 halves, which half would you think you’d have better control and how would you think you would like to have lived it?
Buford feels that the first half of one’s life is usually obsessed with acquiring success as the secular world knows it. You are probably caught up in the “rat race” of acquiring fame and fortune that left you with very little time to think much of anything else. The trappings, the joys and the pains of chasing dreams, let me ask you, has it been worth it?
Buford in his book tells us how to find meaning and fulfillment of our lives when our first half is about to be done.
He believes the second half of your life can be better than the first. In fact, much better but first you need time to figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life.
Has it not crossed your mind, what you might lose with all this gaining, (i.e. wealth and fame)? And when you have reached the top, what then?
Without doubt, getting to the apex is far more exciting and rewarding than arriving. When you have arrived, you will probably ask, is that all to life?
Clearly there is more. But after success, what then? Why is it that one can be so successful, so fortunate and yet can be so frustratingly unfulfilled? This is not a “Buford disease” but can happen to anyone up on the ladder of success.
That’s why you need time off at “halftime” to take stock of your life and truly reflect on where you are going from there.
Half time is a good time for soul searching and to find one’s self once more. The author suggests you listen to your inner self, the still, small voice within. You must first know who you are and know what’s in your “box”. The secret to fulfillment is to know the one thing that you truly want to give your life for. Yes, the one thing that you want to chase after with great passion, what is it?
Ask yourself, if your life were absolutely perfect, what would its elements be? Can fame and fortune perpetually buy happiness and fulfillment in your life?
Sometimes, it takes a calamity, such as a loss of a son as in Bob Buford’s case, to come to grips with the larger questions of life. We turn to God for a way out; we listen to our inner, still small voice. He calls us and then we have to make a choice. Life certainly is not any easier even to those who have made it in life so to speak.
Buford feels that if you have achieved a measure of success in your first half, the second half should be about giving back if one’s life is to be truly fulfilled. You actually move from a path of success to a new path, i.e. to a pursuit of significance.
As Buford explains, “My passion is to multiply all that God has given me, and in the process, give it back.” He would have loved his epitaph to read just simply “100X”. This is likening himself to the seed which fell on good soil and that yielded a crop “100 times” more than was sown. (see the Parable of the Sower, Luke 8:8). What a legacy, indeed that would be!
If our first half is about following dreams, chasing and acquiring success then our second half should be about investing our gifts in service to others. However, to know how to serve and to give it back, you must first know yourself and not just your gifts.
For that, ask yourself 2 questions: (1) on competency, what is it that you are really good at? And (2) on passion, what are you most passionate about? Blend the two, and then ask, is this what God really wishes me to do? Is this my legacy? If the answer is yes, the advice is, go and do it wholeheartedly. You will be so glad you did!
When success is attained early in one’s life, indeed there will be an unquenchable desire to move from success to significance. One may ask, what is this significance and how does one acquire it?
The answer is, unless we give more of ourselves in service to others, we probably will never know what true significance really is. And the truth is there is just no other way.
Buford explains it this way, that in life there are 2 kinds of capital that each of us has to spend. “Economic capital” is the money and time for leisure that you earn by working. For the most part, it is spent on living requirements and luxuries. “Social capital” is the time, money and knowledge that is available to reinvest or spend in the community that nurtures you.
Jesus Christ teaches that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” The payoff for investment of social capital is “blessedness” which is more than happiness. Isn’t this what we all want? Therefore, you need to transform more of your “economic capital” into “social capital”.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi said, “People who control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which is as close as any of us can come to being happy”. Controlling the “inner being” in order to having a fulfilling life, that’s what St Paul try to tell us in Romans 8:5-6. Buford tells us that in your second half, you ought to control your own life, and not let others control you.
Something that’s not uncommon these days is that many missed the joy of serving others in Christ’s name because much of what they do for the church is done out of a spirit of obligation. We shouldn’t let others talk us into doing something we don’t want to do or don’t have the time to do; if we did, it will become a chore. Always remember, you want to pursue your mission, not someone else’s.
The advice is, work with people you like, better still find some beneficial work that both sides like and can do together. This way, you add energy and meaning to life not take them away.
I hope that all these are not too heavy on you. Changing your game plan from success to significance requires “leadership” as in business and not “followship”. You and you alone must decide the risks you may want to take. In all of these, why not seek God in prayer?
Bob Buford in his book urges “healthy individualism”. He says, “the image of a weak, wimpy follower is not supported at all in Scripture, Paul urges Timothy to be strong. He counsels him to “fan into flames the gift of God, which is in you… for God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline.” (2 Tim 1:6-7)
Let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pride-fully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.
In analogy, in the first-half of life, the “self” is seen like a spring which winds inward, wrapping tighter and tighter around itself. In the second half, the “self” winds outwards, unraveling itself from the paralysis of a tight-wound spring. Do you see your life like so?
Sacrificing your immediate self, the small self, for a larger gain is what Jesus meant when he talked about the cost of following him: giving up your tightly wound selfishness to gain something bigger, better. We are told that people are at their largest, their most noble and virtuous when they are given over to a cause, something larger than themselves.
Be possessed with what is known as “altruistic egoism”. What follows explains what it is.
People are stunned by the rarity and vulnerability of the question, “is there anything I can do to be useful to you?” Helping others actually helps you. If you practice this often enough, it will become a reflex action.
Scientists are finding that helping others is indeed good for your health. It heightens one’s overall zest for living and increases one’s life expectancy. Giving of ourselves is offering love, and love remains the only gift that multiplies when you give it away. Did you know that people who are loveless, selfish and mean are not likely to live long?
Going out of your way to help someone can make you feel better! Principle of “altruistic egoism” is that doing good to others in fact does just as much good for you. In retrospective, we should ask ourselves: the apathy versus the empathy “self”, now which are you?
Success in the first half of your life is lonely because it is directed inward. It gains significance in the second half from the “pouring out” of ourselves, our gifts, our talents, our resources. Does this already sound familiar?
We can rejoice in life for its own sake. Remember, it is not how long but how good we have lived, that’s what matters. The start is important but it is the finish which counts. You can make a difference, but only if you dare to take a lead with whatever you’ve got before it’s too late.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in A Psalm of Life has this to say:
“Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time..."
In his final chapters, Buford challenges the readers to go after “Kingdom work” with their talents, money and time during the second half of their life.
He says that second-half people are a lot like “bassoonists”. Bassoonists (those who play the bass tones) cannot go solo, but when combined in an orchestra for instance, they provide listeners with countless hours of wonderful music complemented by their distinctive bass tones.
He recognizes that when in the 1st half for the most part, we are solo players, in the 2nd half, we are secure enough to be team players.
There is no such thing as a life without authority. You can choose the game, but you can’t choose the rules. What you cannot change, you must learn not only to accept but to respect them, for it is thru’ respect that you begin to creatively find ways to turn those unchangeable conditions into opportunities.
Follow the rules, and your chances of winning are greater. Break the rules enough times and you won’t even get a chance to finish the game. To most first-halfers, “rules were made to be broken”. In the second half, you are generally more flexible in your approach to authority.
The irony of the gospel, of course, is that the more you submit to the authority of Christ, the more radically free you become. A paradox but one that’s not quite true, in that it is really true that when you submit to God’s authority, you are truly free! Hope you catch it.
However, when you turn to God, your life problems will not disappear. But you will definitely be in a better shape to deal with them, to learn from them, and even turn them into opportunities for your life mission.
Do you know your life mission? Can’t say that many of us do, and to those who don’t, why not take a serious attempt to find out?
Surely, there is more to life than just taking life one step at a time. But then fulfillment is so elusive and we know it’s true, money, fame, material possessions and experiences will never fill us; if they ever did, it’s only temporary and short-lived.
Thomas Merton wrote that you do not need to chase after things outside of you to find fulfillment. What you need is in your life already.
God has equipped each one of us just the way he wants us to be, and his desire is for us to serve him just being who we are, by using what he gave us to work with, that’s all.
In his final chapter, Bob Buford throws a challenge, a 50/50 proposition (especially to churches in America). The challenge is to allocate 50 percent of the churches’ resources to themselves and 50 percent to serving the community and world. Find out, is your local church a 50/50 church in this context? If so okay and if not, why not?
Buford expounds that the church will never have credibility in the community at large without “expressed” individual responsibility. People need to see our faith, not merely hear about it. When our beliefs are personal and privatized, practiced only inside a building one day a week, we Christians miss out that glorious opportunity to be salt and light. Worse, I believe that when faith continues to be directed inward, we become one-dimensional, uninteresting, and wholly self centered persons.
He goes on to say that inside the church, there is a powerful reservoir of energy just waiting to be unleashed. There is enough talent, creativity, compassion, money, and strength to transform our culture. True believers in every sector of society genuinely concerned about the condition of their communities, but feeling powerless to do something significant to change it. The challenge is how can we harness this energy?
Can we or can we not transform this latent energy into active energy for kingdom work? Individually, we are urged to answer this call, but how many will rise to this call? Individual rather than collective responsibility is the key to transforming your church, is it not? Think about it.
In the final analysis, Buford tells us that you alone must choose how you want to live. You have the freedom to decide whether or not you want the rest of your years to be the best of your years. The call is don’t waste it.
A simple but powerful message, don’t you think?
End of synopsis.
Thank you for lending me your ears or rather your eyes!
Email me if have any comments to make at davidchaykc@gmail.com
Have you heard Beethoven's classical "Fur Elise" on acoustic guitar? If you haven't, turn up the volume and hear this beautiful number. Thanks to Fredrik Larsson for sharing.
How do these definitions of some common English words (which I shall post below) sound to you?
Some are pretty weird, others downright funny, a number witty and thought provoking.
As they say English is a funny language where sometimes words are slippery and thought is viscous.
“One man's frankness is another man's vulgarity,” so said Kevin Smith and that’s probably true to say even today.
Yes, words do come easy so the good old advice is: do not simply believe in everything you read or that’s said; take them with a pinch of salt, and you’ll be alright.
Here then are some of the definitions (with some exceptions) of simple English words which were given to us by a guy called Ambrose Bierce in the early part of this century and who would you believe it, compiled them (I think it was in 1911) into a book called, “The Devil’s Dictionary”.
Explore and have fun.
ACQUAINTANCE, n. A person whom we know well enough to borrow from, but not well enough to lend to. A degree of friendship called slight, when its object is poor or obscure; and intimate when he is rich or famous.
ADMIRATION, n. Our polite recognition of another's resemblance to ourselves.
AGITATOR, n. A statesman who shakes the fruit trees of his neighbors-- to dislodge the worms.
ALLIANCE, n. In international politics, the union of two thieves who have their hands so deeply inserted in each other's pockets that they cannot separately plunder a third.
ARMOR, n. The kind of clothing worn by a man whose tailor is a blacksmith.
ATOM BOMB, n. An invention to end all inventions. (~Anon.)
BACKBITE, v. To speak of a man as you find him when he can't find you.
BOUNTY, n. The liberality of one who has much, in permitting one who has nothing to get all that he can.
A single swallow, it is said, devours ten millions of insects every year. The supplying of these insects I take to be a signal instance of the Creator's bounty in providing for the lives of His creatures. (~Henry Ward Beecher)
CIGARETTE, n. A pinch of tobacco rolled in paper with fire at one end and a fool on the other. (~Anon.)
CLASSIC, n. A book which people praise but do not read. (~Anon.)
COMMERCE, n. A kind of transaction in which A plunders from B the goods of C, and for compensation B picks the pocket of D of money belonging to E.
COMPROMISE, n. The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he’s got the biggest piece. (~Anon.)
CONSOLATION, n. The knowledge that a better man is more unfortunate than yourself.
CORPORATION, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility.
DAY, n. A period of twenty-four hours, mostly misspent as distinguished from YEAR, a period of three hundred and sixty-five disappointments!
DIE, v. Means to stop sinning suddenly. ~attributed to Elbert Hubbard
Death is life’s way of telling you’re fired. ~Author Unknown
Suicide is man’s way of telling God, “you can’t fire me – I quit.” ~attributed to Bill Maher
God made death so we’d know when to stop. ~attributed to Steven Stiles
DIPLOMAT, n. A person who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip. (~Anon.)
DISTRESS, n. A disease incurred by exposure to the prosperity of a friend.
DOCTOR, n. A person who kills your ills with pills, and kills you with his bills. (~Anon.)
EDIBLE, adj. Good to eat, and wholesome to digest, as a worm to a toad, a toad to a snake, a snake to a pig, a pig to a man, and a man to a worm.
FATHER, n. A banker provided by nature. (~Anon.)
FRIENDSHIP, n. A ship big enough to carry two in fair weather, but only one in foul.
FROG, n. A reptile with edible legs.
FUNERAL, n. A pageant whereby we attest our respect for the dead by enriching the undertaker, and strengthen our grief by an expenditure that deepens our groans and doubles our tears.
GOOSE, n. A bird that supplies quills for writing.
GRAVE, n. A place in which the dead are laid to await the coming of the medical student.
HEAVEN, n. A place where the wicked cease from troubling you with talk of their personal affairs, and the good listen with attention while you expound your own.
HISTORY, n. An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools.
HOMICIDE, n. The slaying of one human being by another. There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable, and praiseworthy, but it makes no great difference to the person slain whether he fell by one kind or another -- the classification is for advantage of the lawyers.
HUSBAND, n. One who, having dined, is charged with the care of the plate.
IMMIGRANT, n. An unenlightened person who thinks one country better than another.
INFIDEL, n. In New York, one who does not believe in the Christian religion; in Constantinople, one who does.
KILL, v. To create a vacancy without nominating a successor.
LAWYER, n. One skilled in circumvention of the law.
LECTURER, n. One with his hand in your pocket, his tongue in your ear and his faith in your patience.
LUNARIAN, n. An inhabitant of the moon, as distinguished from Lunatic, one whom the moon inhabits.
MAD, adj. Affected with a high degree of intellectual independence.
MAMMON, n. The god of the world's leading religion. The chief temple is in the holy city of New York.
MERCHANT, n. One engaged in a commercial pursuit. A commercial pursuit is one in which the thing pursued is a dollar.
MIRACLE, n. An act or event out of the order of nature and unaccountable, as beating a normal hand of four kings and an ace with four aces and a king.
MISER, n. A person who lives poor so that he can die rich. (~Anon.)
MISFORTUNE, n. The kind of fortune that never misses.
MOUTH, n. In man, the gateway to the soul; in woman, the outlet of the heart.
NEIGHBOR, n. One whom we are commanded to love as ourselves, and who does all he knows how to make us disobedient.
NEPOTISM, n. Appointing your grandmother to office for the good of the party.
OFFICE, n. A place where you can relax after your strenuous home-life. (~Anon.)
OCEAN, n. A body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for man -- who has no gills.
OPPOSE, v. To assist with obstructions and objections.
PEACE, n. In international affairs, a period of cheating between two periods of fighting.
PHILANTHROPIST, n. A rich (and usually bald) old gentleman who has trained himself to grin while his conscience is picking his pocket.
POLITICIAN, n. One who shakes your hand before elections and your confidence after.(~Anon.)
PREFERENCE, n. A sentiment, or frame of mind, induced by the erroneous belief that one thing is better than another.
An ancient philosopher, expounding his conviction that life is no better than death, was asked by a disciple why, then, he did not die.
"Because," he replied, "death is no better than life." It is longer!
RELIGION, n. A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable.
"What is your religion my son?" inquired the Archbishop of Rheims. "Pardon, monseigneur," replied Rochebriant; "I am ashamed of it." "Then why do you not become an atheist?" "Impossible! I should be ashamed of atheism." "In that case, monsieur, you should join the Protestants."
RESIGN, v. To renounce an honor for an advantage. To renounce an advantage for a greater advantage.
RICHES, n.
A gift from Heaven signifying, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." John D. Rockefeller
The reward of toil and virtue. J.P. Morgan
The sayings of many in the hands of one. Eugene Debs
To these excellent definitions the inspired lexicographer feels that he can add nothing of value.
RIOT, n. A popular entertainment given to the military by innocent bystanders.
SAINT, n. A dead sinner revised and edited.
SAUCE, n. The one infallible sign of civilization and enlightenment. A people with no sauces has one thousand vices; a people with one sauce has only nine hundred and ninety-nine. For every sauce invented and accepted a vice is renounced and forgiven.
SMILE, n. A curve that can set a lot of things straight. (~Anon.)
WOW, that’s enough for a day!
You probably haven’t heard this song entitled "Stairway to Heaven" by the multi-talented Rolf Harris, an Australian artist/ radio-TV entertainer, brought to us by courtesy of “djonusas”. Hope you like it.
Do you know that of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important?
If your heart is unhappy, your face will show it, true or not?
Likewise, if your heart overflows with joy, it is also quite plain to see.
Happiness is an excitement, a thrill of some sorts, a condition of bliss; the opposite of which you can say is misery.
So the question to ask oneself often is why become miserable when you can be happy?
Isn’t it true that for every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness?
Happiness is a not exactly a goal that we specifically seek because if you pursue happiness, you’ll never find it.
Nathaniel Hawthorne had observed a long time ago when he said, “Happiness is a butterfly which when pursued is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”
Now, can we actually become happy when we are sad?
The answer is surprisingly yes, that is if we could consciously change our disposition.
It has been said that happiness is an attitude; we either make ourselves happy or miserable. The amount of work is the same.
Lift up your face and smile; you might be surprised to see how a wonderful change will take place!
Remember the expression, “Smile and the whole world smiles with you, cry and you cry alone!” So cry doesn't help, does it?
The experts tell us that it isn't our position, or our situation but our disposition which makes us happy.
One of the best ways for a person to have happy thoughts is to count his blessings and not his cash.
Happiness is often knowing what we want and not killing ourselves to get it.
A Chinese proverb says, “Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come.” See what I mean.
Happiness they say is a by-product of an effort, sometimes an effort to make someone else happy.
As someone has said, “You will experience happiness yourself when you make someone else happy.”
Indeed, blessed are those who can give happiness to others. But don’t just be a giver of happiness, be one brimming with it yourselves.
Yes, try always to be happy. It's one way of being wise.
Further, being happy actually helps to keep one in the picture of health!
A guy H.W. Byles said this, “Cheerfulness is what greases the axles of the world. Don't go through life creaking.” That’s good advice.
In conclusion let me say this, “The best vitamin to be a happy person is B1.” Hope you get it.
Cheers!
Here's a nice Cantonese song, an old favorite by Sam Hui, the music-video courtesy of "tsubasa777". Follow the lyrics that's translated in English and enjoy!
At the outset, I must qualify that the account given below is my personal view-point. I am not driven by anybody but only by a passion to write.
Yes, I would call the Petaling Jaya Evangelical Free Church (PJEFC) which I attend a middle class church, one could say – it’s a family church, or a church for young professionals and working class people both young and old.
It’s a sort of a little town church growing up in a big city. It is neither a rich man’s nor a poor man’s church. To me, it’s a practical church suitable for all, a modern contemporary church, with no frills and that’s enough for me.
I think it is a church that’s still trying hard to find its niche in the community it serves. It’s not there yet, but I think it’s going places!
Call it whatever you like, it’s nonetheless a great place to promote friendship, worship and fellowship.
The current size of its congregation is about 700 strong. By ordinary standards, it is not exactly small, I would say.
However, its auditorium/sanctuary can house more than 2,000 I am told; so the present congregation in the house is only one third full which means that there is plenty of room for new believers and their un-churched friends to congregate here.
No congestion at all, so you can come up close and get real personal, if you know what I mean.
There are no bells, no steeple or anything like that, nor even a big “cross” signage on the outside to signify it.
Nothing of the sorts that would give it the impression of a fairy-tale like church such as a “church in the wildwood” of the type the Americans especially would love to see.
The building which houses it is known as “The Heritage Centre”. It is just too plain for the eye to see. To be exact, if you are coming, look for #3, Jalan 13/6, that’s where it is.
Why this church? What makes this church special? What makes it tick that I think would entice you to visit and to stay?
For one, the warmth of its people speaks volumes of the kind of fellowship that’s in this church. The smiling faces, the warm hand shakes, and everywhere you turn there are expressions of humility, kindness and friendliness. No ceremony at all.
Secondly, it is not short on good speakers. Sermons are well researched and contents are often witty, thought provoking and challenging. Try one and see what I mean.
Furthermore, Cell Groups meet weekly in homes to further digest and explore the meaning and application of the sermon that had been delivered in the preceding week.
To me, this is a “teaching” church in the true sense of the word. It is a church that’s strongly grounded in the Word.
Why I say teaching is because if you have a good ear to hear, you’ll learn a lot and see deeper into God’s word especially when you keep up with your attendance in the Sunday Service as well as in the cell groups which meet on Fridays.
There are also many on going in-house programs which actually equip new or old Christians with in-depth knowledge of the Bible, both the OT and the NT.
The church which in short, we called PJEFC is also a popular venue for hosting guest speakers and/or missionaries from all over the world who would come to conduct evangelistic or discipleship seminars that have benefited not only members of our own congregation but also fellow Christians from other churches around the country.
To name a few, guest speakers have included Rick Warren (of Purpose Driven Life fame), Edmund Chan (Emmanuel EFC Singapore), and Peter Tsukahira (Tsunami of God).
The famed evangelistic outreach program known as “The ALPHA Course”, a creation by the English pastor Nicky Gumble, is also conducted by this church twice a year.
Predominately, PJEFC is an English speaking church but I am told it has a growing congregation in the Chinese service as well which it conducts separately.
It also has an active Bahasa-Indonesia Ministry and a much sought-after Sunday School (in English) for kids.
Need I say more; go and read my other article entitled “A man and his church” that’s posted on this blog, in the month of January 2009.
If you are seeking God or hunger for Biblical wisdom, why not seriously consider coming to this church?
I like it here. It’s my kind of church, no frills or thrills, just plain authentic worship, great fellowship and abundant friendship.
Meantime, enjoy this lovely rendition of “The church in the wildwood” by Dolly Parton, courtesy of "manbehindthescreen".
Why must a day be 24 hours? Why not more, why not less?
Is time too long or too short? What is your take?
And can you define time?
Saint Augustine answered it this way a long time ago, “If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know.”
And Nikita Ivanovich Panin said, “In youth the days are short and the years are long; in old age the years are short and the days long.”
Think of it, there is probably some truth in that.
It has been said that for many of us, we live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing to be on time.
Others are so anxious of living the future that they forget to live the present, which is the only time that truly exists.
We all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more, no one has less. The difference lies in what each one of us does with our time.
We need to live each moment, savouring its content and acknowledging that each additional day we have is a gift from God.
Dale Carnegie had said this a long time ago, “One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon - instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.”
And Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his “Psalm of Life” wrote:
“Trust no future, howe'er pleasant! Let the dead past bury its dead! Act, - act in the living Present! Heart within and God o'erhead.”
Yes, the advice is to look to this day and live well. Yesterday is already a dream and tomorrow is only a vision but today, well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and tomorrow a vision of hope.
So help yourself to a truly well-lived day, today!
Cheers!
Let's listen to this lovely gospel song entitled "Whispering Hope" by the Chuck Wagon Gang (CWG)courtesy of "erastusbean". Hope you like it.
Apparently, there are 2 books in Heaven which God keeps and which we should be concerned about. No kidding. Just be warned.
One is the Big Book, which is “The Book Of Life” and the other a little book which is “The Book of Your Life”. Each one of us has his/her own little book, a book of records of some sorts which God keeps.
What is this little book which God keeps and calls it “The Book of Your Life”?
Did you know that each day life offers you a blank page in the book of your existence?
Your past is already written and you can’t change that; in its pages you can find your history, some pages have soft colors, others darker shades…
Beautiful remembrances of happy times or pages you wish you could tear out forever…
Today, you have the opportunity to write another page.
It’s up to you to choose the colors it will have, for even in adversity, you can add soft pastels of serenity to turn it into a beautiful experience.
Today…How will you write your day?
It all depends on your will and optimism to transform today’s page in The Book of Your Life into a page that you will treasure as a beautiful remembrance in the future.
If you knew you had only one more day to live, what would you do?
No doubt you would make peace with God and with those around you.
You’d enjoy the golden sun rays, the gentle breeze, the love and affection of that special person, and the many blessings the Lord has given that we sometimes take for granted.
Enjoy this new day!
Take mental inventory of all the good things in your life and live each hour with cheer, giving it your best.
Do not harm others and be happy to be alive and able to give a smile and offer others a helping hand.
It’s never too late to change course, start anew and write fresh pages of happiness and peace in The Book of Your Life!
Thank God for His gift of Today and the opportunity to turn this day into a beautiful new page in the book of your existence.
Remember that in spite of adversities, problems and difficulties, it’s up to you how you live today…as if it were your first day, as if it were your last…the ONLY day in The Book of Your Life!
How you live your life matters not only to you but also to God because He loves you.
Is your name written in “The Book of Life”? Wouldn’t you want to know? Think on it.
Shall we listen to Fernando Ortega sing this beautiful hymn “How Deep The Father’s Love For Us” courtesy of “ffhurray” while we ponder over our destiny.
Who am I :
At 60 something and still going strong, a father of 2 and a grandfather of 3. God-fearing.
Loves travel, photography, reading and writing.
Why I Blog :
Where else can you talk freely without being interrupted and as you like it?
A good place to deposit and safe-keep your memoirs.
To have fun, to laugh, to reinvent myself and to make the last of my years the best of my life.
Stephen Hawking posted this thought provoking question some time ago to challenge all of us to seek a solution. 
