Paul Long's Ramblings

From the Malaysian Insider ... I certainly cannot understand the logic of these "academics". Can they not see that they are the ones who are the extremists? Is not using open threats of May 13 (no longer even veiled) proof of their extremism? With such statements being made, how can there be any hope for any kind of peace? God have mercy! Muslim overseers blame Christians for Allah row By Syed Jaymal Zahiid The Metro Tabernacle church was firebombed and partially gutted. — file pic PUTRAJAYA , Jan 28 — Islamic academics and administrators have blamed Christians for provoking Muslim anger by challenging the ban on their use of the word “Allah”. Politicians, particularly those from Umno / Barisan Nasional ( BN ) were also blamed for failing to defend Islam against perceived threats. Panellists at a forum organised for civil servants here by the Islamic Development Department ( Jakim ) suggested that the Barisan Nasional ( BN ) government was lax in defending Islam, after ...

It's been a while since I last posted a reflection from Alex's "Spiritual Formation on the Run" ... For this post I have chosen Chapter 25: Keep in Step. First, the chapter in blue italics , and followed by my reflections and of course ramblings :-) Please be forewarned about the ramblings! :-) Look at a herd of sheep. You may be able to get them to move together in one direction, which farmers in Australia use sheep dogs to do. The sheep dogs will herd the sheep, but the sheep will never be able to march in a precise and coordinated manner. They will trip over and run into each other, and make a lot of noise. A herd of sheep does not exhibit teamwork. An emperor of China decided to see if his people could work together. Were they capable of teamwork? He issued a decree that everybody must eat with four-feet long chopsticks; they were not allowed to eat with their hands. The decree must be obeyed on pain of death. After six months, the emperor wondered how h...

The last few days, I've had some "ups and downs" ... good ups and downs :-) Some "good ups" ... And my vegetable plants are steadily growing upwards. Amazed that some of my salad plants are actually getting rather tall! Also my confidence in my magic had a boost. I was asked to do a magic show for a community gathering organized by the local council (in March). Nice but this means I need to set aside time to practice. But it is a great opportunity to connect with the wider community and give my church a bit more positive exposure. I had a small confidence booster on Sunday. I had a nice relaxing BBQ on Sunday afternoon with some of my magic club friends. First time I have been free to attend one of the club's social functions. Great to just sit in the sun (and sometimes shade) and listen to stories. I performed two simple magic effects and the response as good. Of course performance wise, I need to do a lot more work but the basics are firm which is good. An...

I am pleasantly surprised that the STAR had this story.... Published: Thursday January 21, 2010 MYT 8:57:00 PM Malaysia gets poor marks for human rights KUALA LUMPUR: To ensure it stays in control and in power, the Malaysian Government has turned its back on promises to protect people’s rights, said Human Rights Watch. In its report released Thursday, it said that when Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak took over as prime minister in April 2009, he promised to respect the fundamental rights of the people but his government has failed to undertake the systematic reforms needed to fulfil that pledge. It said the Government harassed the Opposition, improperly restricted the right to peaceful expression, association, and assembly, and mistreated migrants. When it comes to human rights, Malaysia is more about rhetoric than reality, it said. “The Malaysian Government appears to be more interested in pursuing short-term political advantage rather than safeguarding rights,” said Human Rights Watch de...

Ok, Tun Dr. Mahathir has finally crossed the thin line and become fully senile! From the Malaysian Insider Dr M says 9/11 attacks staged to hit Muslim world By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today claimed the 9/11 attacks in the United States, that killed nearly 3,000, was staged as an excuse to “mount attacks on the Muslim world”, saying killing as an excuse for war is not new to the US. The former prime minister also argued that Israel was created to solve the “Jewish problem” in Europe, saying the Holocaust had failed as a final solution against the community. “In September 2001, the World Trade Centre was attacked allegedly by terrorists. I am not sure now that Muslim terrorists carried out these attacks. There is strong evidence that the attacks were staged. If they can make Avatar, they can make anything,” said Dr Mahathir during his speech at the General Conference for the Support of Al-Quds here. Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem...

From Bob Teoh ... and here is his preamble as well Dear friends The Herald Case is more than the use of the Allah word. It concerns our constitutional rights to continued civil liberties, the Syariah and the role of the Malay Rulers in the light of the supremacy of the Constitution, and the duty of the Government to make lawful decisions and the duty of the Judiciary to overturn Government decisions that are bad in law. -------- The Herald Case: Court says Church can use Allah word The Kuala Lumpur High Court on 31 Dec 2009 granted an Order of Certiorari to quash the decision of the Home Minister and the Government to prohibit the Herald - The Catholic Weekly - to use the word Allah pending the Court’s determination of the matter. The Court also made six declarations: 1 The Government’s decision not to allow the Herald-The Catholic Weekly- to use the word Allah is illegal and null and void. 2 Under Article 3(1) of the Federal Constitution, the Herald has the constitutional right to us...

I think this is quite accurate.... and encouraging!! The Six Percent Solution When I was at my first church, I was complaining to a wise, experienced pastor that I had “too few talented lay persons” in my little church to change the downward course of the congregation. (Even forty years ago I was trying to change the church!) “I have no more than five or six folks who show any ability to move forward,” I whined. “Well consider yourself fortunate,” replied the wise pastor. “My congregation is twice the size of yours and I can count no more than five or six Spirit-filled, innovative leaders. Fortunately, God rarely needs more than that to get the ball rolling.” What? Jesus changed the whole world with twelve (only eleven of whom panned out) disciples. Malcolm Gladwell’s, The Tipping Point is a study of how human organizations change. How does a system reach the “tipping point” whereby an organizational culture is transformed? Gladwell documents that it takes no more than six children in ...

I think 2010 is going to be an interesting year for my eldest son Andrew ... and in relation to my son for me too. He turned 17 in mid December 2009 and a couple of weeks ago passed his NZ restricted driver's license. This means he can legally drive (but no passengers) between 5 AM to 10 PM. However he is allowed him to take passengers as long as he is with a full license holder (with 2 years experience) with him, or if it he is driving a family member. On Saturday after an afternoon of "washing" our house (cleaning the dirt and grime on the outside walls) he took his brother out for ice cream (without any of us in the car). On Sunday, I got a lift from a friend for a meeting and after the meeting I called my son to come and pick me up! Rather strange role reversal but nice :-) Then yesterday, being both Jennifer and my day off, we even allowed him to take Jennifer's car to work. And even as I type this post, he has taken my car to run some errands related to his stud...

Finding Solitude All human beings are alone. No other person will completely feel like we do, think like we do, act like we do. Each of us is unique, and our aloneness is the other side of our uniqueness. The question is whether we let our aloneness become loneliness or whether we allow it to lead us into solitude. Loneliness is painful; solitude is peaceful. Loneliness makes us cling to others in desperation; solitude allows us to respect others in their uniqueness and create community. Letting our aloneness grow into solitude and not into loneliness is a lifelong struggle. It requires conscious choices about whom to be with, what to study, how to pray, and when to ask for counsel. But wise choices will help us to find the solitude where our hearts can grow in love.

From the Nut Graph ... I found this paragraph particularly interesting ... "In 2000, we had about 80,000 expatriates [in Malaysia]. By 2008, there were only about 38,000. Coupled with that, our professionals are also moving overseas," he says. Shamsuddin tells The Nut Graph in an e-mail interview that t here are currently about 785,000 Malaysians working overseas. Huge number! ... one of them being me ... though people like me are not considered professionals and important to the economy of Malaysia. Anyway, here's the article ... The impact of migration 15 Jan 10 : 8.00AM By Ding Jo-Ann dingjoann@thenutgraph.com (Pic by mirofoto / sxc.hu) WITH the recent attack on churches , a Catholic school and a Sikh gurdwara , migration is likely to be on the minds of some Malaysians. Despite government assurances that " everything is under control ", diminishing respect for rights as demonstrated by the " Allah " issue has naturally caused consternation among ed...

A nice extract I found insightful from a devotion by Rabbi Kalman Packouz ... Tragedies, particularly of this magnitude, often lead people to ask - at least for a fleeting moment - "Where's God in all of this?" "How could God let such a tragedy occur?" What is fascinating, is that we only ask these questions because we intuitively believe three axioms about the nature of God. God must be: (1) all good, (2) all knowing, and (3) all powerful. If you remove any one of these attributes, the question disappears. If God isn't all good, He can do evil and even enjoy inflicting pain. Is there any wonder why bad things happen to good people? If God isn't omniscient, bad things occur because He doesn't know everything that's going on in the world. If He knew about it; He would certainly put a stop to it. If God isn't omnipotent, bad things happen because there are forces beyond God's control. Diseases and natural disasters are too mighty for G...

2010 came pretty fast for me. Busier than expected. I suppose it had a lot to do with my mother being around with us in NZ for the first two Sundays of the year. And the fact that I am preaching 4 out of the 5 Sundays in January to add to the mix so there wasn't time to do as much reflection as I would have liked until this morning (courtesy of waking up at 5 AM sneezing?!) So far I have learned to "water blast my decks". Good friends from church, Greg and Su came over a few days ago to teach me. They ended up doing most of the work as well :-) Then I learned to oil stain my decks and had quite a bit of fun doing it with my son Steven. A bit messy as we were learning as we worked. Still have to do a 2 nd coat and touch up - hopefully in the next couple of days (i.e. this time getting my son to do it himself! LOL ) Later today, Su will be coming over to teach me and my boys how to wash the outside of our house ... I've also reorganized my vegetable plants. Have tra...

I like this Breakfast with Fred (the late Fred Smith Sr) devotion. Practical ... Years ago, a television commercial asked the question, “How do you spell relief?” The answer was a well-known antacid…Rolaids. Success can’t be spelled in 7 letters, nor bought at the local drugstore, but it can be put into a formula: Success is the ratio of talents used to talents received. It isn’t measured by money, accumulations, prestige, or position. “Old Joe is worth ten million dollars,” served my golfing partner. “Really?” I asked. “He may be filthy rich, but he may not be worth a plug nickel!” Success is about figuring out if what you are doing with what you have, plus who you are becoming is in the right proportion. The greater the percentage of your talents you use – the greater your success quotient. “I could have been a success, but I didn’t have the opportunities, the right family, the proper education, or the connections.” As he said these things, I realized his failure wasn’t in what he...

Over the last few days I have been getting up extra early. Sleep patterns a little off. Tired at night and so I sleep earlier but I end up getting up every early. A few days ago I found out that an old sitcom Charles in Charge is on at 6.30 AM. It was really fun watching it as it was one of my favourite shows (mid 80s) even though I thought the acting was terrible and many scenes really "corny". :-) After watching two episodes over the last few days, I can confirm that I still think the acting is generally terrible and many scenes still corny! LOL I think the episodes I watched were from the First Season. I stopped watching when they changed the supporting cast (Pembroke family) ... I think it was cancelled on Malaysian TV? However I still like the show as I miss the old style silly sitcoms that had within its storyline a moral or story to teach. And I have always liked Willie Aames crazy character Buddy Lembeck. Girl crazy etc but so lovable. Best of all, never anything ...

it is sad that Malaysia makes this list .... Copyright © Barnabas Fund - 13th January 2010 Christmas and New Year violence against Christian minorities in Asia, Africa and the Arab world: Christmas is meant to be season of peace and goodwill. However for Christians in many parts of the world this did not occur. A spate of threats and violence against Christian minorities has marked the Christmas and New Year season just passed. Anti-Christian persecution is often focused on Christian festivals, and the last few weeks have seen attacks in at least six countries, both around the Western Christmas Day on 25 December and the Eastern Christmas Day on 7 January. Tension was particularly high this season in Shia contexts (e.g. Iran and parts of Iraq) because the main Shia festival of Ashura, which moves with the Islamic calendar each year, almost coincided with Christmas, falling around 27 December. The Western New Year on 1 January is also a frequent focus of anti-Christian violence, as it i...

I agree wholeheartedly with Sivin. "Peace and reconciliation is needed, but not in the absence of truth and transparency." Well done to CCM's Herman Shastri for boldy speaking out! ---- From the Nut Graph ... PMs assured Christians of use of "Allah" 13 Jan 10 : 8.00AM By Ding Jo-Ann dingjoann@thenutgraph.com PETALING JAYA, 13 Jan 2010: Even though the government banned the use of "Allah" by non-Muslims in 1986, the churches refrained from court action for more than 20 years because of assurances from two prime ministers. Council of Churches of Malaysia general secretary Rev Dr Hermen Shastri told The Nut Graph that Christian leaders were assured that "Allah" could be used, as long as it was limited to within the Christian community. This was in spite of a 1986 government gazette and 1988 state enactments that declared the words " Allah ", "solat", "ka'abah" and "Baitullah" as exclusive to Islam. ...