Paul Long's Ramblings

Pastor's Notes for the 3 April 2011 bulletin To read, click HERE

Someone sent me this via email. Just had to pass it on. A real delight to watch!

Thanks Z for sending me this link .... truly brightened up my day. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article5400568.ece December 27, 2008 As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God Missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa's biggest problem - the crushing passivity of the people's mindset Matthew Parris Before Christmas I returned, after 45 years, to the country that as a boy I knew as Nyasaland. Today it's Malawi, and The Times Christmas Appeal includes a small British charity working there. Pump Aid helps rural communities to install a simple pump, letting people keep their village wells sealed and clean. I went to see this work. It inspired me, renewing my flagging faith in development charities. But travelling in Malawi refreshed another belief, too: one I've been trying to banish all my life, but an observation I've been unable to avoid since my African childhood. It confounds my ideological beliefs, stu...

Second Week of Lent - March 24, 2011 "There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently every day. And at his gate there lay a poor man called Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to fill himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man's table." (Luke 16) The elder (the elder brother in the parable of the Prodigal) is not free in his relationship with the father because he is bound by resentment. Resentment is probably one of the most pervasive evils of our time. It is something that is very real, very pernicious and very, very destructive. ... each of us might examine how our lives and relationships are wounded because of unresolved resentments buried in hour hearts. - Henri Nouwen  

Pastor's Notes for the Sunday 27th March 2011 bulletin. To read click HERE

Check this link out. Well written. http://write2rest.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-should-idris-tell-hisham.html

We had my old friend Geoffrey Woo speak / sing at KCC last Sunday. Hah! He went way over time! :-) But it was a blessed meeting. Many of the older folks gave me good feedback. But it was a special meeting for me for another reason too. New people getting up to serve.  And to help me try to bring an Island feel to the worship (if that makes sense). Audrey on the piano after a lapse of 20 plus years! Was good to have Kimberly singing too (next time with the ukulele too?) And so nice to have my two boys helping with the music - drums, guitar / bass.  And Sia and Kata - our wonderful consistent PI couple. Though their boys got the jitters at the last minute - it was still so cool, especially to have Kata a Samoan teach the Samoan verse of Glory Glory Lord and lead us! And it was "way cool" to have Sia be so totally relaxed and naturally bubble over up front, swaying and clapping while he sung. He helped get me swaying and moving naturally as I played the guitar (and those w...

IGovernment backs down in Alkitab row ahead of Sarawak polls http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/govt-backs-down-in-alkitab-row-ahead-of-sarawak-polls/ That's the news bulletin but isn't this not just a little late but way too late? If this was 10 years ago and the elections (polls) were not just around the corner, I would have been joyful and positive. Sadly I have become cynical as my immediate response in my mind and heart was skepticism and distrust AND wanting to know if t he BN govt is actually sincere. Why has KDN and the minister in charge not apologized?  There is no real evidence that the govt will not change the goal posts again if they win Sarawak. It's easy to promise. It's the actual implementation that is the question  And why is Idris Jala asked to do the talking on behalf of the government? Yes, I know he is a Christian but that should not be the point. This is to me tantamount to admitting that the inter religious relat...

Thanks Dr. Ng Kam Weng for posting this! http://libertysentinel.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/why-defacement-of-the-alkitab-is-desecration/ Why Defacement of the Alkitab is Desecration By nkw Some government officials have claimed that Christians are making an unnecessary fuss over the recent stamping of the Alkitab seized in Port Klang and Kuching. After all, they say, the Government also requires copies of the Quran to be chopped/stamped with a notice of government approval before they are sold in the shops. Even some Christians also wonder why such a big deal is being made about the stamping since Christians, unlike Muslims, do not regard printed copies of the Bible with reverence. It is just a printed text. What matters is the message conveyed by the Bible. This article seeks to address the failure to understand the reason for rejecting the stamping of the Alkitab.  The terms of the debate need first be clearly defined to ensure accuracy in my analysis and coherence o...

On the way back from the post office I dropped in on the monthly New Lynn Lions Club $1 book sale. Picked up a few interesting books. "A world full of Gods" by Keith Hopkins. Never heard of him before. His blurb says he is Prof of Ancient History at King's College, Cambridge and a fellow of the British Academy. Not sure I might like what he writes based on the front cover flap but I'll find out one day when I get down to reading it. What intrigued me was that the style of the book is different. Portions of it is written in the style of a fiction piece. Hard to describe. Not exactly a Walter Wangerin style approach but .... a half serious scholarly work and a half light fiction piece to illustrate his point - via a time traveller? "Between Heaven and Earth: Conversations with American Christians" by Helmut Thielicke. Written and translated based on some conversations and discussions in 1963.Interesting to go back in time to the year I was born and see...

Dr. Ng Kam Weng says is so much better than what I can manage so I will just point you to his blog posts.. Read the first link before the second http://libertysentinel.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/shhh-dont-let-neigbors-know-we-abuse-children-we-are-a-respectble-and-religious-family/ http://libertysentinel.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/malay-bibles-desecrated-by-malaysian-authorities/ I however want to add my two cents to the matter for what its worth. 1. I am glad many Malaysian Church leaders have decided to be bold and speak out and show strong leadership in correcting what I think has been letting PC and politics (as in national politics) set the tone ... I think of this episode in Acts and I leave it to you to interpret what I mean :-) Acts 16: 35-40 35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: "Release those men."  36 The jailer told Paul, "The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can ...

Pastor's notes for the 20 March 2011 bulletin. To read click HERE Am tired ... so tired ...

Have not had the mood to blog for a pretty long time. Various reasons but its mostly I have nothing much to days that has not been said by others and the news has been so negative of late and dwelling on negative things has not been helpful.  I have tried to fast from the news for a few days but even that did not help. I am drawn to bad news like a moth to a flame? :-( BE WARNED - I RANT A LOT AND IT IS NOT NECESSARILY PLEASANT! The lyrics of an old Don McLean song came to mind ... (yes, I know that this verse is about Buddy Holly's death) but the lyrics and mood of the song made me reflect on current events and how I felt .... Bad news ... emotional crippling and worse, an inability to empathize due to "bad news fatigue"? But February made me shiver With every paper I’d deliver. Bad news on the doorstep; I couldn’t take one more step. I can’t remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride, But something touched me deep inside The day the music d...

Do much sad news, bad news, evil news ... 10 MARCH 2011 Egypt's Christian protestors under violent attack A Muslim mob has turned on Christian demonstrators who were protesting in Cairo against the burning down of a church by Islamists. The ensuing violent clashes left 13 dead and 140 wounded. Thousands of Christians took to the streets of the capital this week after the destruction of a church in the village of Soul, 30km from Cairo, on Saturday evening. A Muslim mob attacked the Christian demonstrators, resulting in deadly clashes. The violence broke out around Mokattam garbage village, where Barnabas Fund has been helping the Christian residents with various projects over several years. A number of homes in the vicinity were looted and torched by the mob during the violence. A senior church leader from Cairo said: Large groups of Muslim youths from surrounding areas began to form and attack the Christians. Within hours there were many thousands in the fight, and the att...

Just helping to spread this news around. Hats of to CFM as they are willing to be bold to speak up (as usual). You can go to this reputable website to verify that I am not making it up ... Ok, ok, real reason is to give the website some extra publicity :-) 10 March 2011 MEDIA STATEMENT BY CFM The Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) is greatly disillusioned, fed-up and angered by the repeated detention of Bibles written in our national language, Bahasa Malaysia. This time yet again at the Port of Kuching in Sarawak. 30,000 copies of the “Perjanjian Baru, Mazmur dan Amsal” i.e. the “New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs” are currently being withheld. This is notwithstanding that the Government in its attempt to to justify its position against the use of the word “Allah” in the Alkitab, the Government had given the assurance that the Bible in Bahasa Malaysia, will be freely available, at least in Sabah and Sarawak. Since March 2009, all attempts to import the Bible in Bahasa Malaysia,...