Christians starts as small group. Being a Christian was not easy. Now Christian people does not refer to one religion. Catholic Christian is just a fraction of Christian people. Many new Christian groups are emerging. Christian blog for everyone affirms that there's only 1 Christian message,the same gospel of Christ and of God,the same Christian hope and grace for all Christians.This Christian blog aims to bring Christ message into the world of Christian Blog.This Christian Blog is for everyone.
Saturday, 29 September 2007
Reflection on Lk, 16, 19-31
First, Why is Abraham and not God who seemed to be in-charge in heaven. Second, why is the rich man being tormented in hell in the physical sense, if we leave our physical body when we die then we shouldn't be feeling physical pain and thirst for such are proper to physical body. Thirdly, the rich man in hell did a very Christian request by asking Abraham to warm his brothers, i.e. he was no longer after for what is good for him but rather what is good for others. He didn't care suffering as long as his brothers would be spared from similar fate. Such attitude has no place in hell.
For me the main point in this reading is the 'completeness' of Divine Revelation in the Bible and in our tradition. While 'apparitions' might have importance in its own right, nonetheless, by merely depending on studying the Scriptures and 'updating' Traditions one can find his or her own salvation.
just a thought on Dn 7, 9-10; Jn, 47-51
This rings a bell. It reminds me of the Transfiguration. My teacher in Pentateuch would always tell us to be aware of the themes that borrowed from somewhere else. Having read this passage from the book of Daniel made think of whether Transfigurations did really happen as such. And besides if Jesus told his disciples not to tell anyone, then how did the author knew about it.
"I saw under a fig tree. . ."
I think I remember soneone telling me that for a 1st century Jew, a person who sit under a fig tree is actually studying the scripture. I am not sure whether it has any significance on today's Gospel but one thing for sure this Jesus seing Nathanael under a fig tree appeared to be a special theme in this passage.
For me this passage is a confirmation that my present satisfaction of my faith is just a foretaste of a more satisfying thing lieas ahead of me.
Friday, 28 September 2007
Listening skills: The key to effective work relationships
Many people seems to forget that communication is a two-way process, i.e. talking and lintening. Unknowingly many feel as if they had communicated better when they did a lot of talking. Just imagine two people behaving like this at the same time. There will always be one sure outcome - breakdown of communication.
In the work place communication is indeed very important. Effectively this means listening is very important. Anyone can talk about what he wants or his ideas but if no one is listening, it would be just throwing some of your mint condition food in the bin.
Here are some effective tips in developing listening skills:
1. Give your 100 percent attention to the person talking to you.
2. Listen with tabula-raza mind. In other words get rid of your prejudice.
3. Let the other person finish. Jot down important points that come in your mind rather than interupt.
4. Look at the person you are talking to in the eyes.
5. If you hear something you personally don't like, keep yourself from reacting at once. Give some time to think ponder about the issue.
. . . and remember, you must be able to know the difference between hearing and listening.
my reflection on Lk. 9, 18-22
I accept Jesus as my personal God and Savior.
Jesus as our savior is grossly misunderstood concept. Many believe that Jeus dying in the cross saved us. I dare say that it did not. Jesus death and crucifixion was only accidental. If they are necessary for our salvation then Judas and Pilate & Co. were also necessary for our salvation. Imagine, our salvation being dependent on the hands of these notorious people.
What saved us was Jesus rising from the dead. The man Jesus had simply showed us that by being loyal to his mission he can overcome death. In the same manner if we are loyal to our mission, which is sharing the mission of Jesus, not even death can defeat us.
I am saved but not yet. I do believe that I too can overcome death but still many times I find myself worrying that someone very close to me would die. As long as this feeling of being worried is in me, then I am not yet truly saved.
Thursday, 27 September 2007
Is Madeleine Still Alive?
Until there is no concrete evidence that Maddy had died, it's best to hope for the best, that she is still alive.
The circumstances are:
It's very unlikely for a parent to kill her own child.
Even if Kate accidentally killed her daughter, it is very unlikely that she could afford to cover it up. How can a mother dispose her owns child body as if she is just damping some rubbish.
Allegedly the parents of Maddy underwent IVF treatment. If that's the case then the more that they would love their child.
If Maddy's body was thrown into the sea or anywhere else, there must be some accomplish before they can do so or even an eye-witness when the act was done. If so, then at least one of those accomplish would come forward and tell the truth, or an eye witness would likewise come forward and expose what he saw. But until now, none of this happen.
If Maddy's parents are not guilty, at least there are two people who absolutely knew that they are not, and they are nobody else except them. As long as they knew that they did not do it, then there is a great chance that Maddy is still alive.
Adverse Bad Credit Mortgages and Loans
Two families earning the same income. One took a mortgage and the other did not. After 3 years the one who had a mortgage was able to withdraw the equity of his property which is about twice his annual income.
Effectively the equity of his property is the amount that was lost by the family who did not get a mortgage. What a big loss, indeed.
Looking for a mortgage provider is sometimes frustrating. When we first attempted to apply for a mortgage the company that we went to only offered us an amount which fell short a great deal relative to the cheapest house price in the market then. We thought that was the end of it but when we tried other companies, we were offered a loan much more than what we actually needed.
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my reflection on Lk 9, 7-9
Herod, looking at him from the outside depicts a picture of an evil man. He murdered John the Baptist. But why does he like to see Jesus? Is he interested to listen to his teaching. Maybe after all there is something good in him. On the very first place he regretted killing John so much. He just found himself in a situation whereby he was duty-bound to stand by what he swore for.
Wednesday, 26 September 2007
my reflection on Lk 9, 1-6
This is something which is not easy for me to do. I am the type of person who plan ahead, calculate my move, weighs the pros and cons with the aim of minimising the risk and maximising the chance of success to the point that a project should be foolproof as much as possible.
Am I not willing to follow Christ then? I don’t think so. Remember the parable of the virgins who were not admitted in the wedding because they run out of oil or the parable about erecting a building in a soft foundation or going to war without assessing first the enemy’s military forces. I believe Jesus always wanted us to be prepared.
On the other hand Jesus would not give this instruction if He knows that his disciples would not be able to survive or overcome possible difficulties they could face in their mission. A clever man like him might have known the situation on His apostles mission area and he knows that walking stick, slack, food or money are not necessary for that particular occasion otherwise he would not send them.
Sometimes there are occasion where you know that you are not materially prepared but you can feel the peace, love, joy and courage, and you know that whatever it is that need to be done should be done, then go for it because it’s the Holy Spirit talking.
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
It's a baby Girl???
Well done Jo and Jess. My Congratulations.
Jo and Jess had been very active in the group until they migrated to US. Jo was about 6 months pregnant then. It was indeed a tear-flooding moments for everyone.
Being united through genuine love, friendship and prayer is sharing in the divine life of the Triune God. Hence when it's time to part, it's like a quasi breaking away from God. It hurts a bit.
Good luck to the new chapter in your life.
Reflection on on Lk 8, 19-21
If Jesus had brothers, they should be younger brothers. He must be a very elder brother, a role model and a friend to them.
While Mary is believed to have no other children and these brothers were merely Jesus cousins, but for me personally I prefer more that these brothers were indeed real brothers.
I just don't understand why some think that Jesus having real brothers is someting not good. In fact if we take the Holy Family to be our role model then Mary would be a better model as wife and mother if she had real children with Joseph.
Salvation will not be hampered even if Mary had other children.God in His infinite mercy, wisdom, and power will surely save us regardless of Jesus having physical brothers or not.
Saturday, 22 September 2007
The Deep End of the Ocean (Vincent and Ben)
The news about Maddy McCann disappearance reminds me of the movie, The Deep end of the Ocean.
Unknown to many what make most of good movies are the Christian themes feature in them. Just like in this movie, three Christian themes stood out.
Hoping Against Hope
In the movie, a couple lost their son while attending a class re-union party. For about 10 years the mother never lost hope that one day she would see her son again. In order for her to recognize her son, she commissioned a ‘face’ computer expert to forecast how her son looks like at present by basing it from the child recent picture before he got lost.
The Abba Experience
When the family finally found the lost son, at first the latter could not remember them anymore. But eventually he remembered a particular game he usually played with an elder brother in which he would hide inside a cabinet. While inside the cabinet he would not be able to come out of his own, and he remembered that he was never scared then because he knew that his older brother will always find him.
The Cross and Resurrection
Having found the lost son was not actually a happy situation for everyone. Sam who was then known as Ben when found was not happy in the company of his newly found family. Eventually the mother let him go back to his ‘father’. Just imagine how painful it is on the part of a mother who waited for about 10 years and then her son would not actually treat her as his mother. But because hr son happiness takes precedence than hers she let him go. But in the end, his son was able to remember everything and they were finally re-united for good.
Reflection on the Parable of the Sower
I studied Theology and I am confident of my conviction with respect to my own personal belief in the Catholic Faith but I am fully aware that there are many who never studied formal Theology or even belong to the Catholic religion yet they can live out their faith more than I do.
Whenever I or a member of a family is ill or inflicted with symptoms which could be potentially harmful, my entire world is just absolutely shattered. I lost my appetite, it doesn't matter whether the weather is good or bad, I just felt very bad that things that normally amuse me just lost their meaning.
My anxiety just choked and hampered the Word of God in me. Looking back at those worrying moments in my life, maybe I could have saved myself lots of emotional stress if only I just did not take them so heavily.
When such things happen to me I tend to question my faith. If I truly believe in Him, then why do I worry a lot. Illness comes to our life every now and then and death will surely comes in due course. But are they really worth worrying? Two things. First if our goals in life tend toward success, good health and material prosperity, then maybe there are reasons for worrying. But while those things could be tools for our ultimate goal but definitely they are not meant to be our ends. Second, worrying maybe a part of our instinct, lest if you don't worry you might not take good care much of your health or your loved ones.
One thing I am being thankful of being a worrier is that when I am worried I prayed harder and deeper. Worrying also made me a more caring and responsible person.
Thursday, 20 September 2007
My Reflection on, Luke 7:36-50
It looks like there are some customs in Jesus culture then whereby a visitor needs to be given water (to be used for washing his feet) and to be kissed by the host. At first Jesus was silent about these missing elements but later on when his credential was challenged he did point out to Simon his violations of customary rules in entertaining a visitor.
To translate what Jesus told Simon is, “You were not really sincere in inviting me to dine in your household.”
On the other hand, Mary took the risk of being rejected, humiliated and thrown out from Simon’s house because in the very first place she was not invited and being branded as sinner she is certainly not welcome in a Pharisee’s house.
What could be Simon’s real intention in inviting Jesus? What ever it is, one thing for sure, he was not really sincere in having the latter to dine with him.
Simon attitude struck me very much because on several occasions my dealing with people around me is motivated by some personal vested interest which is indeed not very sincere. Anyway when such happens again, I will always remember Simon to keep me from going further.
Tuesday, 18 September 2007
Motive for Murder
But is it enough to make one kills his or her child?
On the other hand if one's efficiency is criticized and made look like very inefficient in the eyes of the whole world, would this be enough motive to implicate one into a crime just to save their faces?
It is not easy to answers these questions without being bias. I think looking for the killer is a bit presumptous.
First thing first. The problem is, a little girl is lost. Hence, the solution would be, find her. If found alive, fine. If not, then only then one can look for the killer?
The Lord's Prayer Controversy
I always believe that the Lord's Prayer is the best prayer of all because it was taught by Jesus himself.
On the other hand an ideal prayer should contain the following major elements, i.e. the ACTS. Adoration, Contrition, Thanks giving ans Suplication.
Now, try to analyze the Lord's Prayer. Adoration, contrition and supplication are all in the prayer but can you see in anywhere in it which Give Thanks. Did Jesus forget about it.
Hope to hear your thoughts.
God Bless.
Monday, 17 September 2007
Doris Stoke
Doris wouls simply sit with a person, "tune in" and instantly the spirit of a person related to the one sitting with Doris will relay a message to the latter.
Doris became very popular because people who sat with him were able to verify from Doris things which only the (dead) person knew when he was still alive.
With Doris sitting with the McCann things might be much easier for them and maybe for the Portugal Police.
Unfortunately Doris herself hadd passed away some years ago.
3rd Anniversary - Filipinos Bible Study Group in Brighton
. . . and yet when the day came, Mr Sun was happily shining down on them. . .
God will provide, don't worry about the morrow . . .
Wonder workers couples . . .
the family that prays together stays together. . .Sunday, 16 September 2007
For the benefit of the doubt
Her mother was brushing her hair and then some hair fell on something, a toy perhaps. Unknowingly some weeks after Maddy disappeared, the McCanns rented a car and put some of their things in the car boot, including the hair brush used by Kate when brushing her hair and the toy in which some hair fell on.
Very unlikely but still possible.
If Kate and Gerry McCann did throw Maddy's body into the sea then they must be experts to be able to do such an enormous task without any accomplice or without being seen by anybody rode a boat or a private plane perhaps in order to do it.
Very unlikely. . .
Friday, 14 September 2007
Filipino Christian Community in Brighton
For three years now a group of Filipinos in Brighton UK meets every Friday to study the Bible. Using a 'study guide' from a Local Baptist Church they share their day to day experiences in the group and then discuss among themselves if how could they find meaning from those experiences by relating them to the Word of God.
After sharing the Word of God, comes a spiritually nourishing table fellowship. At this special moment members of the group take advantage of this opportunity to chat socially with each other - a very relaxing, nourishing, and unwinding moment.
Each meeting is always formally opened and concluded with a prayer. Members take turn in hosting the prayer meeting and senior members take take turn in leading the prayer meeting.
Together members experience a holistic growth, i.e through the prayer meeting they are able to nourish their body, mind and spirit.
Kate McCann
Hopefully this will still end in a happy ending, i.e. Maddy would suddenly just re-appear out of nowhere and be re-united to her family. If this happens Kate can forget all those pains and harships both from 'within' and 'without', as long as the reality is that Maddy is back.
Well as long as nobody can produce her body, there's nothing wrong in hoping for the best.
Wednesday, 12 September 2007
How to prepare for a job interview
Here are some questions that are commonly asked during interview, But before you read them please note that experiencing being tensed before the interview is just normal. The more that you pay attention to it the more that it will get worse. Just let it go. In fact being nervous is actually helpful because it make you think faster and enhance your ability to concentrate:
1. Tell me something about yourself. - Apart from giving basic details about yourself give one or two information about you which are relevant to the position you are applying for. For example after giving your interviewer your name, address, marital status, educational background, you could mention about a skill or experience that is necessary in the position that you are applying for.)
2. Tell me something about your present or your recent job. - The interviewer objective for asking this question is either to know if how your previous experience would fit it to their organisation or whether you have some negative reasons why you were leaving job.
3. Why do you think you are the best applicant for the position? - Don't brag. Of course you would not know until it was offered to you. Just answer it by giving your relevant skills and experience.
4. What are your positive and negative qualities? - You should know your positive qualities but in giving your negative qualities, make it sure that they can be converted into positive ones or that you had already found a way to overcome it. For example you could say that you are perfectionist and that you are not satisfied unless your work is done properly, or maybe you could say that coming on time is one of your weaknesses but you had already bought an alarm clock that had been serving you right over the years.
5. How would you dealt with an angry customer? What is being established here is your emotional composure. Hence tell them that you are able to maintain a sense of objectivity is such situation. (If in reality you cannot then start practicing to do so.)
Other things that you should do are, come say 15 minutes before your interview, dress appropriately, thank your interviewer after the session and do not give your interviewer the impression that you are so desperate to get the job.
Tuesday, 11 September 2007
How to write a CV
Two things, first, your CV should have a cover page that would give the reader clear idea of what actually you can do. For example you don't simply say that you know how to use Excel program but rather you must specify what actually you can do in using Excel, e.g. Can create table with appropriate cell size; Can use mathematical formula in a spreadsheet; Can merge cells together; Can wrap texts in a cell; Can export a spreadsheet to another program etc.
Second, Your CV should tell a story, i.e. the reader can actually visualize you on each stage of your student or working life. Not all of us were 'top-nochers' when we were students but all of us have at some points or another our own moments of glory, e.g. maybe you were elected as the class Sgt at Arm when you were in high school or maybe you were a recipient of the Most Punctual Award for having a 101 percent class attendance.
When I started following these techniques my stats for being short listed for job interviews had improved significantly.
Monday, 10 September 2007
The Daily Gospel
DAILY GOSPEL«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68
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How to live a greener life
Some people will argue that climate change is a natural phenomenon that will occur whether we reduced CO2 emission or not. They may be right but we've got nothing to loose if we refrain from polluting our planet. On the other hand if they are wrong which is very likely then we our already on the right direction is solving the problem.
Here are some very basic things that we can do in order to save the plane.
1. Walk or cycle if you could.
2. Insulate your home properly, this will reduce your gas consumption. It will also save you money.
3. When driving avoid using the gas pedal unnecessarily. Ensure you are using the right gear. If you are running fast and you are in a lower gear, you are consuming more gas.
4. Prefer electrical appliances rather than gas-powered.
5. Refrain from buying appliance unnecessarily. The frequent you change appliance the more ex-appliances than need disposing and the more new appliances that need to be produced. Both disposal and production involves CO2 emission in some respect.
6. Plant more and refrain from cutting trees.
7. Tell the world about it. Use your blog and the internet.
8. Live simply
While there are lots of things not included in the list, the main issue here is for the super power to take the initiative. If US and China would simply cut their CO2 emission resulting from their production of products which are produced by mean of burning fuel, then a significant move is accomplished.
Sunday, 9 September 2007
The Daily Gospel
DAILY GOSPEL«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68
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Christian Gambler - Bad or Good?
But gambling can become good or bad.
It becomes good when the person who is gambling only does it for relaxing, unwinding, and amusement. In so doing, the person feels good and when he feels good he feels more alive and all Christians know that the glory of God is man fully alive.
It becomes bad when a person gambling becomes addicted to it, spending more money than he can afford, spending more time in betting shops than with his family. When this is the case then gambling should be stopped.
To sum up, gambling is only for people with self discipline, or people who have a great sense of maturity.
Hence, in the context of Christianity, only those mature Christians who have a great sense of discipline and self control can ‘gamble’. Anyone who hasn’t reached this level of maturity, then gabling is not for him.
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Working Hard For Money
Things start to become pathological when money is viewed as end in itself. This is indeed a problem. The reason being is that money is numerically quantifiable and as you know number is simply infinite. Hence when someone aims for a certain amount, once he reaches it, he would aim for more and so fort and so on. It would not just simply stop. And this is very dangerous because it could lead to crime specially when the circumstance seems to be conducive, e.g. World leaders who were involved in huge scale of corruption.
On the other hand if you are aiming for a certain amount in relation to a certain goal (an end) e.g. buying a car or a house, then once you reach your goal you don't strive for more, or you create another project then set your goal again, but not just aiming for money - for nothing.
Tuesday, 4 September 2007
Science, religion, and who's right about the creation of the earth
If you want to know the answer to the question, how the world was created, I would strongly recommend that you read the Big Bang Theory and do not commit the mistake commonly made by people in going to the Genesis Story of Creation.
There once was a Pope who fell into the same error. Said Pope took the Genesis story literally and the earth-centeredness portrayed in the story so seriously. Then came a scientist who claimed that the earth is not the centre of attraction in outer space but only one of the planets the revolve around the sun. This angered the Pope so much to the point the he ex-communicated the scientist. Apparently it was only after several hundred of years that passed by before the Catholic Church exonerate the poor scientist.
Now if the Bible is a book of Truth then what truth is being told in the Genesis Creation story?
The answer is simply Theological Truth i.e. a truth that would bring people to believe in God. In other words every story in the Bible may not be true historically or scientifically but it is true in the sense that it tells about God and that it bring people to believe in God.
What is the Theological Truth in Genesis Creation Story?
Generally it tells us that God is the creator of everything. But if you read closely you would notice that there is one specific traits of God that is highlighted in this story, viz. God is a great organizer. Notice how God's creation were created in proper order i.e. each day different things were created and that man was created last. Just imagine how man could have managed if he was created first before the land. Notice also the arrangement of creatures, e.g. plants in the dry land and fish in the sea, etc. To put it simply the main theme in the story is organisation and that God is the greatest organiser, i.e. making good out of chaos. In other words the author was simply telling the readers that the God of Israel is very organised God.
Now what is the pastoral significance of the story? How could it bring people to conversion or belief in God?
Christian life is sharing in the life of God. If you are in love or if you love truly someone you feel some sort of spiritual happiness. This feeling of happiness indicates that you are sharing in the life of God. You share the life of God because God Himself is Love. (Notice the feeling when you hate someone, it is a very bad feeling because God is absent in this instance).
Therefore if God is the greatest organiser (as Genesis Creation story) then by being organised ourselves we share in the life of God. Notice how you feel when you find your kitchen very dirty and messy and then you started cleaning and tidying it up. Isn't it that the feeling is good after the cleaning and tidying up? On the other hand imagine yourself in a very disorganised office and then someone phones you about something and you just could not find the file that you need, what is the feeling? Very bad, chaotic, nightmare, isn't it?
Notice that being organised' and loving someone both gave feeling of happiness and peace. And remember that these feelings are both gifts coming from the Holy Spirit. Therefore when you felt these feelings the Spirit of God is in you thus you share in the life of God.