Wisdom is the beginning of the fear of God;

Without God in the picture, wisdom is non-existent.

 

You're not wise unless you arrived at the same crossroad that the author of Ecclesiastes stood at.

It's amazing what one has to believe to believe in gun control

by Michael Z. Williamson

from Political Humour

1. That incidents where people shoot criminals in self defense are very rare, and shouldn't be used as excuses to own guns, just as incidents where presidential press secretaries are shot are very rare, and shouldn't be used as excuses to ban guns.

2. That guns are the real cause of crime, but we will blame and jail the owner of said gun for the crime, even if the owner wasn't the person involved.

3. That a mugger will kill you in the half-second it takes to draw from the holster, but won't harm you while you dial 911 on your cell phone, talk to the dispatcher and wait half an hour for the cops to arrive.

4. That gun control works, which is why there are no illegal weapons in Northern Ireland or Beirut.

5. That the Second Amendment only applies to flintlocks, just as the First Amendment only applies to quills and lead type.

6. That the proper response to an attack is to call the police, but only unarmed police, because "Violence never settles anything."

7. That it's wrong to make snide, sexist comments about women, unless the comments are about women who own guns.

8. That a gun with an 11 round magazine is dangerous, but a gun with fifteen 10 round magazines is much safer.

9. That we should rehabilitate criminals and treat them as people, but never let them own guns, even if their crime was nonviolent.

10. That a hijacker could easily take a gun away from a pilot, but the hundreds of passengers aboard would then be unable to take the gun away from the hijacker

11. That if there'd been a gun aboard American Airlines Flight 93, someone could have been hurt.

12. That pilots have enough to do in the cockpit, without having to worry about distractions like firearms to stop hijackers and fire extinguishers to stop fires, and these activities should be left to "trained professionals."

13. That such "trained professionals" will only be available on one flight in five.

14. That rather than have the pilot risk human life by shooting at a hijacker, we should simply have the Air Force shoot down the plane, thus preserving life.

15. That rapists prefer to attack armed women so they can take the guns and use them against the victims.

16. That 1 firearm owner in 10,000 will commit an act of violence in his or her lifetime, and this is far more frightening than the 25% of drivers who will cause a serious or fatal accident.

17. That you should rely on police in lieu of your gun, just as you should rely on a dentist in lieu of your toothbrush.

18. That the press reporting a shooting is "responsible," but failing to report that the shooter was stopped by an armed citizen is an attempt to prevent the "glamorization of guns."

19. That car keys, umbrellas and hairspray are good tools for self-defense, despite the fact that police continue to carry guns.

20. That Washington DC's low murder rate of 80.6 per 100,000 is due to strict gun control, but Arlington, Virginia's high murder rate of 1.6 per 100,000 is attributable to the lack of gun control.


21. That the depressed and emotionally disturbed should not be allowed to own guns that shoot bullets with 250 ft-lbs of energy, but should be allowed to own 4000 lb cars with 1,136,000 ft-lbs of energy (at 65 mph).

22. That "assault weapons" are "very powerful" but big game hunters oddly prefer .30-06s and .375 H&Hs.

23. That assault rifles are "underpowered" for hunting, but can "punch through police body armor." More powerful hunting rifles, however, cannot.

24. That we should outlaw bullet proof vests so criminals can't use them, and private citizens should be then proud to be killed in the crossfire, knowing they are doing their part for society.

25. That we don't need the Second Amendment or arms to protect our Constitution, but should instead use the courts and the government system, just as we did in 1776.

26. That the lack of mention of guns in wills in colonial American cities proves that most Americans didn't own them, just as the lack of mention of outhouses proves that most people squatted in the yard.

27. That this alleged lack of ownership is as relevant to the Second Amendment as the lack of interest in newspapers at the time was relevant to the First Amendment.

28. That among the hundreds of documented cases against anti-gun freaks we note that: the press secretary of Handgun Control was arrested in DC for discharging an illegal handgun, a ranking regional officer of the Million Moron March was convicted of felony assault, and other Million Morons in Colorado have been arrested for attacking firearm dealers and activists, but "gun nuts" are "obsessed with violence."

29. That the laws against specifically named weapons have been found unconstitutional, that the laws against "types" of weapons have been considered vague, that the laws against cosmetic features are easy to comply with and still produce the identical mechanism, and that laws against particular mechanisms are unconstitutional is an indication of the "obsessiveness" of firearms enthusiasts to do what they enjoy doing, against the wishes of the narrow minded prudes who wish to stop them, and not an indication of the obsessiveness of the ignorant paranoids who fear them.

30. That NASA, the military, physiologists, anatomists and trainers all agree and Olympic scores confirm that men on average have tremendously more upper body strength than women, but women should try to defend themselves with martial arts and not a gun.

31. That according to investigative reports, alarm systems are expensive, often easily defeated, and the alarm company may not respond for three hours, even then only driving by rather than stopping, but an alarm system is a more reliable means of protecting the home than a firearm.

32. That less guns in an altercation is a good thing, so you should not be armed against a criminal to keep yourself safe.

33. That rather than spend a few hundred dollars on a firearm and an afternoon learning how to use it, one should instead spend thousands of dollars and several years learning a martial art, so you'll be well-prepared to fight anyone, as long as they're in your gender division and weight class.

34. That it's terrible when police officers plant weapons on a suspect to enable them to make an arrest, but we should have tougher laws against weapons and trust the police not to abuse them in this way.

35. That police arriving at 80mph are a better way to stop criminals than bullets arriving at 800mph.

36. That because of the bombing at Oklahoma City and the knife-point hijacking on September 11, we should take guns away from people who weren't involved.

37. That a police officer under 21 shouldn't be able to buy a gun for off duty use, because his competence depends on that blue jacket.

38. That people buy guns as "substitute penises," because they know that only people with small penises ever get attacked by criminals.

39. That Hitler and Stalin didn't disarm citizens, only Jews, Gypsies, gays, unionists and other "undesirables." (Yes, a liberal member of the MMM actually said this in the Washington Post, quoting www.potomac-inc.org.)

40. That to properly understand Nazi gun control, one must consider the "legitimate fears" they had of the Jewish population. (This was another self-proclaimed liberal. I'm beginning to wonder.)

     After a long hiatus of almost a year, I've decided to finally keep this blog and not to delete it. Main reason is that I'm a sentimental guy and most of my best posts is from this blog. So, to anyone of you still reading this blog of mine, cross your fingers for some posts which will come your way soon ;-)

   

“In Him (Jesus Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

The prince of a small, oil rich Asian nation was indicted for allegedly squandering $16 billion of his country’s wealth. Over a 10 year period, the prince is believed to have lost huge sums through poor judgment and bad investments. His nation’s High court said that he spent $2.7 billion on aircrafts, yachts, cars and jewelry.

God showers His grace richly on every one. Let us ask ourselves whether we waste the riches of God’s grace. If we have received His mercy and forgiveness and continue to yield to sin, we are squandering His grace.

After Jesus Christ healed a man who had been an invalid for 38 years, the Lord said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you" (John 5:14). It seems that Jesus was warning him not to waste God’s healing touch on his life. Apostle Paul too pleaded with the people who followed Christ in Corinth “not to receive the grace of God in vain” (2 Corinthians 6:1). Indeed, God’s grace should result in changing lives (Titus 2:11-12).

As God freely forgives us, His grace opens the door for us to change. How tragic it would be to fritter away a spiritual fortune instead of allowing “the riches of His grace” to transform our lives! (Ephesians 1:7).

Written by my friend from India. Be Blessed

I've came to the place where everything is laid bare before me. Is my life pleasing unto Him? Is my actions an act of worship towards Him? Am I a hypocrate? I can safely say YES. Who is Jesus to me? Is He the LORD over my life or is He someone whom we run to when we face problems? Is Jesus God or a Forgiveness Machine, one we run to when we trangressed against Him?

I guess it is time that we re-evaluate our relationship with God. It is time we confront ourselves with the truth, rather than sweeping it under the carpet and pretend everything its ok. No more deceit within ourselves. Be truthful. Before the LORD moves, before Revival falls, we still have time to prepare ourselves, to concerate ourselves.

O how we love to have everything our own way. What a rebellious and stiff-necked people we are! How we have filled our hearts with the things of this World, turning away from the LORD our God and have dug cisterns, cracked cisterns that hold no water(Jeremiah 2:13), our minds occupied by the things of this World, lifestyles which does not please Him, whilst we dare to profess that we're Christians! What a hypocrate we are, what a hypocrate I am!

I can't take it anymore. The internal struggle within me. Whilst one part of me desires nothing more than to serve God and to love Him alone, the other part is just so evil. Sin….sin….sin….again and again and again. Until I can't take it anymore. Many time have I abused the Grace of God, many times have I grieved His heart. How am I able to live a victorious life in Christ like this?

I must confront my struggles head on. No more compromises, no more hiding. If I want to truly follow Christ, to be His disciple, I must count the cost and carry the Cross. I must let Him shake me, to shake out things that hinders our relationship, until I'm unshakeable no more. Only by settling the issues in my heart and putting it at the foot of the Cross will I truly be at peace, will I be ready to be used by Him, when the Time comes.

1.  Besides your lips, where is the favourite spot to get kissed?
Err….No idea.

2. How did you feel when you woke up this morning?
As tired as a hibernating  Grizzly :-p

3. Who was the last person/people you took a photo with?
The Yfers who went to SIBKL for GDOP 2009.

4. Would you consider yourself spoiled?
Nope.

5. Will you ever donate blood?
I wish I could but I’m underweight so I can’t.

6. Have you ever had a best friend who was of the opposite sex?
Erm…. Yes.

7. Do you want someone to be dead?
Nope. ‘Non shall perish but have eternal Life’ even if it’s Ali Khamenei or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

8. What does your last text message say?
Top Secret

9. What are you thinking right now?
‘Will I Grow Up To Be A Man?’ haha…. Where is my life heading to, what will happen to the future of Iran.

10. Do you want someone to be with you right now?
Taylor Swift…. Just joking. Right now I’m a contented old bachelor. <winks-like Henry Higgins>

11. What time did you go to bed last night?
12.30am, right after my quiet time.

12. Where did you buy the tee you are wearing now?
I’ve forgotten.

13. Is someone on your mind right now?
Taylor Swift? Haha.

14. Who was the last person who text you?
Aunty Fer.

10 special people to do this quiz…
1. Shammah
2. Rachel Koh
3. Carissa
4. Jazzie Kan
5. Melissa
6. Joanna Yam
7. Allie
8. Peter
9. Dianne
10. Ali

15. Who is no. 2 (Rachel Koh) having a relationship with?
She’s single.Or is she?

16. Is no. 3 (Carissa) male or a female?
Female. DUH!

17. If no. 7 (Allie) and and no. 1 (Shammah) get together, would it be a good?
HAHAHAHAHA!!!! Imagine if you mix a Democrat and a Republican….

18. What is no. 1 (Shammah) studying about?
Not studying. He’s working for Bill Gates.

19. When was the last time you chatted with no. 3 (Carissa)?
On Sunday.

20. Is no. 4 (Jazzie Kan) single?
Nope. She’s attached to Peter.

Say something about no. 2 (Caleb Raj)
Nice chap.

22. What do you think about no. 10 (Ali) and no. 6 (Joanna Yam) being together?
They don't even know each other! HAHA.

23. Describe no. 9 (Dianne)
She is full of laughter and joy. Plus she is one with her camera.

24. What will you do if no. 5 (Melissa) and no. 7 (Allie) fight?
Fight? It will turn into a dance :-p

25. Do you like 8 (Peter )?

Nope. Jazz will kill me :-p

DONE!

Have we, as Christians, re-evaluate our relationship with Christ? Many a times, we didn’t know or didn’t realise that the lifestyle we lead is pulling us apart from God. Or that the things of this world, aka Idols, take God’s place in our hearts instead of Christ. Sometimes, we think that God’s presence is with us whilst in reality, it’s NOT due to the fact that we continue to live a sinful lifestyle or we allow Idols to take the place of Christ in our hearts.

Why am I blogging about this? Let me tell you a secret. The past 2 months has been really low for me, especially my spiritual walk with Christ. I’ve been having problems praying and reading God’s Word. When I pray I tend to lose my focus and my mind drifts somewhere else, or the Bible seems to be just another mere story book, instead of God speaking to me through His Word. This issue seems to be bugging me and I was so discouraged spiritually that I came to fear that I would fall away.

Well thank the LORD, Pastor David Goh came today and gave us a huge wake up call. As usual, being the man he is, he delivered his God-inspired sermon straight-to-the-point. Though unpleasent it may sound, I was happy because I felt God speaking directly to me. In his message, he shared that Jesus is after our heart, that He wants to change us, our heart. If we allow Him to. (On a funny note, we always think that Pastor Rennie steps on people’s foot, but Pastor David steps on people’s head!) I like speakers who are straight-forward and uncompromising. Though unpleasant it may sound, as long as it is meant to correct us, I’m find with it.

Also, he stated that if we Christians, if we don’t hunger and thirst for Christ, we will naturally hunger and thirst for the things of this World. He also states that we are living in the Last Days and that in the Last Days, there will be a great shaking in the Church and it is meant to purify His Church. Those who remain will be overcomers. ‘The remnant will be saved’.

So to my brothers and sisters-in-Christ, once saved is NOT always saved. We as His disciples must set our hearts right before Him and let God change our hearts. So I urge you all to start thinking seriously and re-evaluate our relationship with God. Don’t only experience God but also allow Him to change our hearts. Use the life that God gave us for His Glory!

Life is like a coin, you can spend it in anyways you want, but you can only spend it once.

It's official. I'm getting married….NOT! Just joking. I've got my finals result last Thursday and thank God I've passed. So that means I'm officially a Diploma graduate. I just want to thank God that I've got my Diploma. If one looks at the way I study he/she will instantly know that I passed due to a miracle.

As you some of you know, I'm a very free guy now. Currently I'm looking for a job (duh!). What's in my mind now is preferably an international company(hint) Eurocopter, which means I can work 5 days a week and it would ensure that I would still be able to attend worship practice and YF on Saturdays. Anyway, a lot of things happened during this break.

Well, the day before I got my results, I just returned from a 3 day trip up north to the state of Perak, specifically to a town called Kuala Kangsar, which is the royal town of Perak for a prayer drive in conjunction with the Global Day of Prayer 2009 and after that, a trip to Taiping where we visited Taiping Zoo on the last day. Those who went for this trip is Pastor Rennie, Ty Fer, Samuel and Sheralyn, Patricia, Aunty Jessie(who replaced Carissa :-p),Shammah, U Shen and me.

In Kuala Kangsar, we had the opportunity to visit a local church there ironically called FGA Kuala Kangsar. In small towns like these throughout Malaysia, the local churches there are small and sadly in some cases, did not have the priviledge of a resident pastor. A gentle reminder to the big churches in KL here. Don't complain about your church pastor, leaders or lack of certain facilities. If you don't believe me, go and checkout these small churches yourself.

The places we went and visited in Kuala Kangsar is the Royal Palace itself, the former palace and the banks of Perak River. Outside the palace gates, Shammah, Samuel and I had the honour of guarding the Sultan's palace. One thing I like about this small town is the town square. There they had this roundabout on which perched a decommissioned RMAF MacDonnell Douglas A4 Skyhawk light- attack fighter-bomber. Yes, the same plane used by the Israelis to devestating effect against her Arab neighbours during their numerous wars and skirmishes.

After our prayer drive in Kuala Kangsar, we went and stayed for a night at Taiping. It was in Taiping itself that we had the best dinner during our 3-day trip. Uncle Nie drove us to a hawker centre which is located on a road! Yes, on a road which was closed to traffic during the nights. That night I had a plate of Fried Kuey Teow which tastes like the authentic one from Penang, a bowl of Fried Fish Noodle and the last piece of Aunty Jessie's Chee Cheong Fun. We left there with satisfied smiles and with a happy tummy.

The next day, we visited Taiping Zoo, which Samuel was especially looking forward to, especially the tigers. Unfortunately he was not able to see them up close due to the tigers resting at the far end of their enclosure. At the zoo I took a lot of photos of the various species of animals there but I can't seem to upload them here. After we returned from the zoo, we went back to the hotel where we took a light shower and packed our stuffs before checking out and making our way back to KL. Well we all enjoyed ourselves, especially Aunty Jessie who said that she's looking forward to another similar one, but instead of 3 days, a week long duration.

Last Sunday night, it was the Global Day of Prayer 2009, where Christians from all over the world gather at a designated spot locally and together with Christians from all over the world, pray. The youths from our church:Carissa, Sheralyn, Victoria, Allison, Joanna, Jazzie Kan, Shammah and me;  and a few others from another church volunteered to be flag bearers. Well I was looking forward to carry the Israeli flag or the Iranian flag but unfortunately it was not available so I ended up with our beloved Jalur Gemilang. This event is beautiful in such that Christians, regardless of denominations, gather as one and pray together. Indeed in Christ, all are equal.

Well I've reached the end of my mumbling. Till the next post.

Who says that only Shaolin Monks can fight? If anyone of you remember last November's news, I bet that you'll remember this. Yes, the story of brawling Armenian and Greek Orthodox monks at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, revered as the site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and ressurection.

It seems that there is a 'territorial conflict' between the 6 different sects of Christianity who divide control of the church. It seems they regularly fight over turf and influence and it happened a few times before, where Israeli police are called in to intervene. Guess the Middle-Eastern conflict is not only about Palestinians only.

Here are a few pictures of this 'historical' moment:

'Get him! Get him!.....'

'Got Him!!!!!!' ליןא ידטקק דק!!!!......' Ok ok its gibberish

'What ya starin at eh? Wanna piece of me copper?'

'Give him to me!!!......'

'I'll knock your bloody block off!!!!'

'Esi im deghna!!!!'

After the fight......

Guess the players in the Middle-Eastern conflict is not only between the Israelis and Palestinians but also fighting monks.

I'm sure that there are a number among the younger generation that watched this wildly popular 70s and 80s comedy from Limeyland.  I recently managed to borrow the DVDs of this show from Aunty Fer. Man so happy. The last time I watched this show was way back in 98' on our local TV, when I was a small chap. This show brings back lots of sweet memories. How sentimental…..

For those who don't know what this show is about, its about Mr Jeremy Brown, played by the late Barry Evans, who teaches English at an evening class to a bunch of foreign student. Well, as the title goes, one can guess that this show draws its humour from the mistakes that the students commit. To make things 'worst', the students come from different nationalities and there are always conflict among them.

The students are Giovanni Cupello from Italy, who is also the class monitor, Maximilian from Greece, Danielle, the French 'gatal' girl, the Communistic Su-Lee from China, Taro Nagumi( don't need to guess his nationality),Ingrid Svenson from Sweden, another 'gatal' one, Ranjeet Singh and Jamilah from India, Ali Nadim from Pakistan, Juan Cervantes para Sevilla from Spain, Anna Schmidt from Germany and Zoltan from Hungary. Other characters are Mrs…ops Miss Courtney, Sid the janitor and Gladys who worked in the canteen.

The humour in this show comes from the students mistakes in English. And some political strife. As Mr Brown says to Ranjeet and Ali in the first episode, 'we are here to learn English, not to start a Holy War.' Ranjeet and Ali are always quarreling due to their religious differences whilst Su-Lee and Taro argue over political differences.

One thing about this show that I love is the hard-to-forget quotes and the humourous dialogues. For example, in the 1^st Season, when Mr Brown asks Juan questions, he always replies with 'Por favour?'

Among my faourite quotes are:

Mr Brown: Ali, across the line for 7(during a crossword game), what do you call a 4 piece music band?

Ali: Beatles!

 

Mr Brown: What is another name for an epistle? Giovanni?

Giovanni: Simple, an epistle is the wife of an apostle!

 I have a lot of laughing to do whilst watching this show. All hail Jeremy Brown!

One of my favourite, Giovanni

Another favourite, Ali                            

The whole cast