Paul Long's Ramblings

Thought it would be good to highlight again a website I support - The Micah Mandate . Lots of helpful thought provoking articles and links there. The Micah Mandate is a Christian-based public interest advocacy ministry that seeks a transformation of our nation through justice, mercy and humility. The Micah Mandate's webzine is updated every Monday. He has shown all you people what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly before your God. - Micah 6:8 Here's a sample from the every young Peter Young ... Model Sentence , under Peter's Pithy Pointers. Unfortunately, ‘MODEL SENTENCE’ does not refer to English grammar! Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarnor, 32, a part-time model pleaded guilty to consuming beer at the Cherating Bay Lounge of the Legend Hotel in Cherating at 11.40pm on July 11th. She was charged under Section 136 of the Pahang Administration of the Islam Law and Malay Custom Enactment. The...

A quick blog post and back to work ... why the "need"? Because it is something I am wrestling with ... Saw this headline on Out or Ur: John Piper says video hurts preaching Everyone knows that John Piper believes in the supremacy of preaching, but what about augmenting the spoken word with video clips or dramas? In this short video Piper answers that question. Here's an excerpt: "I think the use of video and drama largely is a token of unbelief in the power of preaching. And I think that, to the degree that pastors begin to supplement their preaching with this entertaining spice to help people stay with them and be moved and get helped, it's going to backfire.... It's going to communicate that preaching is weak, preaching doesn't save, preaching doesn't hold, but entertainment does." Piper concludes as only he can--by making light of the issue with laughter while still invoking the possibility of eternal damnation. He says: ...

The Malaysian "Allah" debate has made the news in Christianity Today . ... What's in a Name? Christians in Southeast Asia debate their right to refer to God as Allah. Susan Wunderink | posted 7/28/2009 08:52AM Agnes Monica is the Miley Cyrus of Southeast Asia. The Indonesian teen singer's face is ubiquitous. Her performances are packed out. But in Selangor, Malaysia, no one is allowed to play her song "Allah Peduli" ("God Cares"). Monica is a Christian, and Malaysian law bans non-Muslims from referring to God as Allah. The ban on "God Cares" is one application of state laws widely opposed by the island nation's Christians and other non-Muslims. Few question whether Allah is the God of the Bible—to Malaysian Christians, Allah is simply the word for God. The decades-old state laws have gained recent prominence through The Herald, the national Catholic newspaper. Beginning in 1998, Malaysia's Ministry of Home Affairs has sent letters...

Just found out that I can listen to Coast , my favourite NZ Radio station online. Nice :-)

Just posted up my latest edition of Pastor's Notes . It's related to "Theological Sunday" - it's a local church thing - a Sunday our church leadership decided upon last year to emphasize the importance of Bible and theology.

It is good that this poem is getting new life via youtube. Two versions that were brought to my attention. One from Sivin's blog and the other from Teresa Kok's blog. Thanks!! Based on the original First they came poem by Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984). Malaysian version ....

Out of Ur is sponsoring an interesting contest. Took an excerpt from the post on the context below, but go to the website blog for the full details. I won't be entering but it is an interesting subject that I have been thinking about on and off for a long time. Too tired to write out some of my thoughts but thought it would be of benefit to post some of the points brought up last Sunday on the subject by my church's guest speaker which I thought was spot on and food for thought. The speaker was Dr. Rod Edwards. He's a former BCNZ CE lecturer, (now Laidlaw College ). He's now with a Brethren based Bible Institute helping them develop in a unique way. First the Out of Ur excerpt ... In keeping with that theme, Out of Ur is sponsoring a contest to see whether Urbanites can spot Consumer Christianity when they see it. Here's how it works: 1. Write a working definition of "Consumer Christianity" in 100 words or less AND/OR send a photograph that capture...

Last night one of my Home groups finished the final study based on John Stott's DVD curriculum, The Bible and the Christian life . This title of the final session was "Making an Impact on Society". I could not help but think that what Stott had to say needs to be heard by many Christians in Malaysia (sorry if I sound judgmental). And the context of this study is just general teachings that are foundational for Christians to understand, reflect and apply. In fact this was the simplest study in terms of terminology etc. Just a simple message based on Matthew 5:13-16 (salt and light). The three discussion questions that speak for themselves. But before that, here's what Stott mentioned as six weapons in our Christian armoury. 1. Prayer 2. Evangelism 3. Example 4. Argument 5. Action 6. Suffering Discussion and Reflection Questions 1. How in your everyday life do you live out the biblical truths that Christians are to be radically different than non-Christians, yet penetra...

Just posted up my latest Pastor's Notes . It's a reflection based on a Henri Nouwen quote (it's on the side bar) and also in conjunction with this Sunday' topic. Our speaker, who is the current director of Open Air Campaigners New Zealand , will be sharing on ... what else ... evangelism!

From the Breakfast with Fred e-list. Good practical reading especially in the light of the economic recession. I can identify with this post as I started married life (after exhausting most of my resources on 4 years full time study at the local seminary) with Under RM 1,000. Jennifer brought in no savings, having spent the few hundred she had on her wedding gown. My father in law kindly agreed to take care of the traditionally required wedding dinner costs and collect the ang pows as we had no money to even book one table. My father let me pay him RM 250 a month to use his old Daihatsu Charade until I paid up a set amount in a special interest free loan. Our honeymoon was 2 nights at Cameon Highlands in a one bedroom apartment at Strawberry Park (courtesy of one of Jennifer's church members from her Bangsar church). We re-started working life a couple of weeks after our wedding, and had to request an advance on my RM 1,000 salary as we would not have enough to pay our utility bill...

I'm feeling tired and my head hurts. I'm not really sick and I got as lot done today etc so it's a little strange. Maybe it's related to sickenss related to Malaysian politics? Finished the Romans 1-4 Bible study booklet today so that's nice. And in 20 minutes my boys should be back from school and I have to take them home and bring asome of the school boys to the TT stadium. So something light in 20 minutes and I thought ... why not have fun with one of those tag games. Tagged by Z ... Okay here goes. A - Age: 46 B - Bed size: Queen C - Chore you hate: Weeding / Lawn maintenance D - Dog's name: no dog *sigh* Used to have dogs though ... E - Essential start your day: a cup of tea And if weekday the Breakfast Show? F- Favorite color: Maroon G - Gold or Silver: Gold H - Height: 5 foot 10.5 inches (could not make the 11 inch mark :-)) I - Instruments you play(ed): Guitar, ukulele, egg shaker (it's pretty nice!), a little harmonica ... lots to learn and no tim...

A strong stand from Goh Keat Peng has been reposted below. Check out his blog and the comments posted. But first my quick thoughts. I know that politics and religion are two big taboo areas for most of us. As a rule of thumb, I try to remain neutral in issues of politics as I know too well that many political issues are not clearly black or white but various shades of grey. Because of this I can with good conscious get along with others who hold different political views from me as there is much room for me to agree to disagree. It's also my theological position and understanding. I can have close friends or have great respect others who come from different theological persuasions (within the Christian church) and even people from different religious beliefs. I may strongly disagree but can consistently still have respect for divergent views and convictions. I believe I can do this consistently if those I disagree with share a few common principles / values. Some that come off ...

On a lighter note, it has been a more relaxed week. No preaching this Sunday and with no Wednesday Home group or Thursday night games I had two extra night frees. Wednesday was Jennifer's birthday so I cooked her favourite dish - Hokkien Mee (black version with large noodles - not the " Har Meen " version). First time I cooked it too and it turned out great. I wisely had four packets of noodles and divided all my ingredients into four so I could cook it a batch at a time. It's always nicer when the portions are smaller so they mix and blend well. Also I can taste the subtle differences with each batch and adjust and learn from any mistakes of the previous batch. I forgot to take a picture of it. Will do next time. Pretty fast too except for the early stage when I made my " chee yau char". Had to cook on low heat for quite a while to get it really crispy and not burnt. Mmmmm ..... Found an old friend, Andre on facebook ... but not only due to another o...

There had better not be any attempts at a cover up! This is highly suspicious. ----- From the Malysian Insider. SHAH ALAM, July 16 – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) controversial probe into several DAP assemblymen’s activities was thrown into more turmoil today with the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock at the anti-graft authority’s Selangor headquarters. Click here to read the story .... Read RPK's version on this here .

This reeks of political discrimination. There is no way someone like Dr. Cheah Wing Yin is corrupt. I have known him for a long time. He has personally sacrificed so much because he loves his country. He could be "minding his own business" and spending time in his medical practice making the big bucks. He does not need politics to become rich unlike other clearly corrupt politicians. The fact is, being in politics has made him significantly poorer financially. For as long as I have known him, he has spent much of his time and money helping others. And he has been doing this for years - long before he stood for elections and became an MP. Taken from Malaysian Insider Wed July 15 By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani SHAH ALAM, July 13 – Pakatan Rakyat (PR) today claimed that seven of its assemblymen are under investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over the allocation of funds to schools, mosques and community associations. The assemblymen are Teresa Kok (Kin...

Just posted up my latest Pastor's Notes . It's related to Bible Sunday. Here's the link to Bible Society of New Zealand.

I have been wanting to blog on chapter 21, Renovation of the Soul for a long time but there's too many questions and issues that first need to be "resolved". So here's chapter 23 instead ... though it was / is not exactly an easier chapter to reflect on. First the chapter, then some of my reflections / ramblings. HOW HEAVY IS YOUR BURDEN? There is an old story about three men and their sacks. Each man had two sacks, one tied in front of his neck and the other on his back. When the first man was asked what was in his sacks, he said, "In the sack on my back are all the good things friends and family have done. That way they are hidden from view. In the front sack are all the bad things that have happened to me. Every now and then I stop, open the front sack, take the things out, examine them, and think about them." Because he stopped so often to concentrate on all the bad stuff, he did not make much progress in life. The second man was asked about his sacks....

Changes give migrants some leeway 4:00AM Tuesday Jul 14, 2009 By Lincoln Tan photo: Amos Chapple Changes to immigration policy will make it tougher for migrant workers thinking of coming to New Zealand, but will ease requirements for some who have lost their jobs and are already here. Migrant workers who lose their jobs during the probationary 90-day period will not only get a further three months' visitors permit, but their children will also be allowed to continue schooling as domestic students. However, those coming to NZ on a seasonal employment scheme can no longer support applications by their partner or dependent children to come here too. As well, visas issued under the essential skills work policy will be limited to one year for lower-skilled workers. The amendments will be effective from July 27, says Immigration NZ. Richard Howard, chairman of the Association for Migration and Investment, said allowing applicants placed in this situation to hav...

Catholics lodge report against Al Islam 10 Jul 09 : 6.39PM By Deborah Loh deborahloh@thenutgraph.com PETALING JAYA, 10 July 2009: The two Catholics who lodged a police report against the Al Islam magazine over an article in which the journalist took the holy communion wafer out of his mouth and photographed it, have started a peaceful protest campaign against the magazine. Joachim Francis Xavier and Sundhagaran Stanley, from Penang, are asking Catholics to make individual police reports and to express dissatisfaction with the magazine's publisher through telephone calls or faxes. "We are resolved not to allow anger to guide our actions and instead pray that these ignorant will be forgiven by Allah," they said. .... Click here for the article.

Now here's a very interesting article! Taken from the Out of Ur website blog. July 8, 2009 Ministry Lessons From a Muslim His unexpected message to church leaders: fully embrace your Christian identity. By Skye Jethani & Brandon O'Brien Eboo Patel is not the most likely seminary professor. His credentials are not the issue. Patel earned his doctorate from Oxford University, and he is a respected commentator on religion for The Washington Post and National Public Radio. He has spoken in venues across the world, including conferences for evangelical church leaders. What makes Eboo Patel an unlikely seminary professor is that he is Muslim. The editors of Leadership first encountered Patel at the 2008 Q Conference, where he challenged 500 Christian leaders to change the rules of interfaith dialogue. "Muslims and Christians might not fully agree on worldview," he said, "but we share a world." Patel spoke of his enduring friendships with a numb...

Just posted up my Pastor's Notes .

I find Windows Vista a real pain .... Second time I am reinstalling ... as every time there is an update, things get messier and different programmes that use to work crash. Fixing problems really eats into my productivity . Right now I am working on both my notebook ( running Win XP ), my PC (Win Vista) ... while trying to reinstall my programmes (that are supposed to Vista compatible!) ---- Problem caused by Windows This problem was caused by Windows , which was created by Microsoft Corporation . There is no solution for this problem at this time. However, your computer might be missing updates that can help improve its stability and security. Recommendation Go online to check for and install Important updates. Click to go online to Windows Update: Windows Update In the left pane, click Check for updates . If any updates are found, click View available updates . Select all Important updates, and then click Install . If you are prompted for an administrator passwor...

In checking the news today and this was on top ... So just decided to compare what's news in Malaysia and New Zealand :-) Coffee laced with Viagra in Kuala Lumpur New 8:15AM Monday Jul 06, 2009 Malaysian authorities have confiscated 900 boxes of coffee laced with Viagra. Health Ministry officials raided a company in Kuala Lumpur that marketed the coffee as an energy booster, the New Straits Times said. The report did not say whether the package labelled Viagra as an ingredient. The report said the 900 confiscated boxes containing some 9000 coffee packets were worth more than 72,000 ringgit ($31,000). Some of the Viagra-laced coffee had been distributed nationwide, it said. Viagra is legal in Malaysia, but it requires a prescription. ------ The most views story for thestaronline ... Updated: Sunday July 5, 2009 MYT 5:28:56 PM Manohara: Kelantan prince files demand for RM1mil, her return By SYED AZHAR KOTA BARU : Tengku Temenggong Muhammad Fakhr...

AMEN!!!! Another good piece from Soo Inn and some very interesting facts from research given like ... Rebecca G. Adams, a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. "There is just scads of stuff on families and marriage, but very little on friendship. It baffles me. Friendship has a bigger impact on our psychological well-being than family relationships." But then again when I thuink about it ... it is not that surprising ... enjoy the read. And Soo Inn, thanks for the friendship! ------ GRACE@WORK MAIL 27/09 July 3rd, 2009 Edition. This ecommentary is sent out free but your donations help this ministry in its commitment to bring truth to life. Details below. (Grace@Work Mail is a ministry of Graceworks: www.graceworks.com.sg ) Commentary: A Big Deal By Soo-Inn Tan "Spiritual friendship Is friendship that is rooted in Christ, for the purpose of growing in Christ." "What is the vision of Graceworks?" Often folks would ask...