A Synopsis of Bob Buford's book "HALFTIME"

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.

Life's lighter side

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.

Happiness is an attitude

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!

PJEFC, a practical church

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".

Time and the brevity of human life

What is time?

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.

The Book of Your Life

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.

Que Sera Sera

The tags say it all, don’t they?

Life is what you make of it, always has been, always will be. And there is a song that says, “Whatever will be, will be and the future’s not ours to see, Que Sera Sera.”

Someone did advise, “If God gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

Yes, along life’s path, we’ve made some mistakes; and regrets, indeed we do have a few. But who doesn’t?

You tell me which man is perfect or is without sin? There is none, I guess.

In the end, the Bible tells us that only 3 things will remain and they are faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love.

So the way to go is to love and be loved. Love always. For something, from someone. It’s never done.

For without love, what are we worth?

Robert Browning said this a long time ago, “Take away love and our earth is a tomb.” Sobering thought, isn't it?

Wise men say, "You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving." Think on it.

Love as we have heard, means never ever having to say you’re sorry. Indeed, as someone puts it, “Love is an act of endless forgiveness.” And isn’t it so?

In conclusion, I shall leave you with this thought to ponder:

You really shouldn't say "I love you" unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget. These remarks are actually attributed to an 8-year-old named Jessica but we can learn a lot from it.

Anyway, don’t worry, be happy.

The thing to do is be what you are, do what you can, and “can” what you can’t.

And in our lives, my prayer is this: may we experience the True and Amazing Love of God.

Cheers!

This music video is from "Zennmann" with thanks. Enjoy.

The Lord is my Shepherd

The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, sent by God the Father some 2,000 years ago, on a mission to Earth to save our souls.

He came impersonated as a humble Son of Man and lived amongst men for about 33 years.

Although his time on earth was rather short but one can say, it was in all quite tumultuous and eventful.

What he said and did became well known and was valued in Christendom for centuries and his legacy (his life's work) continues to touch the minds and hearts of modern man.

He established a faith unlike any other which continued to this day with a commanding lead of more than 2 billion believers living today.

But the numbers are not exactly what he came to seek. As I understand it, he wanted to seek the lost, to make good of all the believers and eventually to bring them home to be with God the Father in a Paradise called Heaven.

One may ask how a faith so simple and humble as this could have survived this long, and yet with a following that’s ever increasing with each passing day, and not diminishing mind you, if that faith had no truth, nor depth nor substance to sustain it?

His appeal alone is universal and stunning, to say the least.

To Christians, the Lord Jesus Christ is known by many names. He is first of all called Immanuel, the Messiah.

He is The Deliverer, The Way, The Truth, and The Life.

He is also their Redeemer, Savior and Friend, all rolled up in one.

He is depicted as The Good Shepherd, The Bridegroom, The Lamb of God, and The Mighty One.

He is also the Lord of All, King of Kings, the Lion of Judah and The Prince of Peace.

He is of course The Holy One, The Everlasting Father, The Creator of Everything, and I would say our bridge to eternal life if only we will believe in Him.

If we believe, and what they say of Him is true, we have everything to gain. But if we believe and let’s say what they say of Him turns out untrue, we really have nothing to loose.

However, if we don’t believe at all, but if it turns out to be true, we have everything to loose. Hope you've got it.

Indeed, we shouldn’t be playing a game of chance with our present life where eternal life is concerned.

Remembering that we have only one life on this earth and how we choose to live it will broadly determine where we will go from here, after our brief life on earth is over.

Yes, because we are endowed with “freewill,” God actually gives us the freedom to make that choice. So choose wisely my friend.

If indeed you want to know more on why God allows that freedom of choice, go read that book by C S Lewis, the famed English critic and novelist, entitled “Mere Christianity” where he has explained it quite explicitly.

Indeed, the Bible tells us: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” ~ 1 Corinthians 2:9

If you want peace, remember this adage, “Peace is not the absence of affliction, but the presence of God.”

May God bless you and teach us all how to choose.

I shall leave you with this beautiful Hymn made by "citrail", words adapted from that famous Psalm 23. Thanks to "citrail for sharing.

Epitaphs

I enjoy reading epitaphs.

Epitaphs are words written on the gravestone that try to tell something about the dead person.

But do they?

The dictionary defines epitaph as an inscription on a tombstone in memory of the one buried there; a brief literary piece commemorating a deceased person.

As a matter of fact, some epitaphs are quite interesting and thought provoking.

Take for example some of these famous lines (epitaphs) that I’ve found. I hope we can learn a thing or two from them. They speak from beyond the grave!

Elvis Presley (1935-1977)
“I hope I haven’t bored you”

Bing Crosby (1903-1977)
“That was a great game of golf, fellers”

Groucho Marx (1890 -1977) in his own words:
“Excuse me, I can’t stand up”

Dean Martin (1917 - 1995)
“Everybody loves somebody sometime”

Frank Sinatra (1915 – 1998)
“The best is yet to come”

Epitaph on an Unknown Grave:
“Here lies an atheist,
all dressed up
and nowhere to go”

Epitaph found on a gravestone in Chittanooga, Tennessee:
”Here lies Ned.
There is nothing more to be said -
Because we like to speak well of the dead.
I came into this world
Without my consent
And left in the same manner.”

This one is found in Charleston, South Carolina:
“Reader, I’ve left this world,
in which I had a world to do,
Sweating and fretting to get rich:
Just such a fool as you.”

Moore’s epitaph:
“Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.”

Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
“I am ready to meet my Maker.
Whether my Maker is prepared
for the great ordeal of meeting me
is another matter”

Thomas Stagg’s epitaph:
“That is all.”

One day I guess that I will also have to go; wonder what my epitaph will say?

My question is, “How would you like to be remembered for who you are or for what you have done?”

Think about it for our time will surely come.

Be happy...God loves you!

Thanks to "rbrandonvideo" for sharing this lovely piece of soothing music (an old Irish hymn) entitled, "Be Thou My Vision". Relax, listen and enjoy.

The Power of Love

This article on "What love means to a 4-8 year old" came through the Net from a friend. I thought it's interesting enough to post it here.

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?'

The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think.

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.' Rebecca- age 8'

When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' Billy - age 4'

Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.' Karl - age 5

Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.' Chrissy - age 6'

Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.' Terri - age 4

Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.' Danny - age 7

Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss' Emily - age 8

Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.' Bobby - age 7

(Wow!)'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,' Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.' Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.' Tommy - age 6

'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.' Cindy - age 8

'My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.' Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.' Elaine - age 5

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford. 'Chris - age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.'
Mary Ann - age 4

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones. ' Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image) Karen - age 7

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'
Mark - age 6

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget. ' Jessica - age 8

And the final one; the winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,' Nothing, I just helped him cry' When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all you need.

Indeed, love is so powerful, even kids know what it is!

Here's Celine Dion with "The Power of Love" (live) courtesy of "Tried16". Enjoy.