tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61714544969748515442024-03-14T17:51:46.299+08:00alwynlau"If at first the idea isn't absurd, then there is no hope for it" Albert EinsteinUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger364125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-66765416982064145452010-06-03T08:51:00.002+08:002010-06-03T08:51:23.925+08:00Moving OnYet again.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-46166813363636015172010-01-22T10:28:00.009+08:002016-04-01T12:57:54.994+08:00RBS: Basic Beliefs & Apologetics
Thank you so much for being part of the Basic Beliefs & Apologetics class. I hope you found the discussions helpful. Do continue to grow in your journey as thinkers after God's heart and mind.
Below are some links to some of the topics we discussed - please review them and think through the questions you have:
Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus (Peter Kreeft)
Did Jesus Rise Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-11021346686712738472010-01-02T18:30:00.005+08:002010-01-03T23:44:36.395+08:00My Decade That Was (Final Upload)10 years. Many memorable moments and phases. Here are mine:
Meeting my wife-to-be, Chrissie, whilst working on a project at Malaysian National Insurance (2000)
Climbing Mount Kinabalu and walking like a crab for days after that (2000)
Getting a job in Singapore and living half a year in a hotel (2001), something repeated the following year in Jakarta
Seeing the North - the first - Tower Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-21520322523198300932009-12-17T00:03:00.002+08:002009-12-17T00:14:24.716+08:00The Virgin Birth (5 Views)What's all this gobbledygook on Jesus being "conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary"?
1. Traditional View (booo-ring)
God and sex don't mix. And no way the birth of the Christ would have anything to do foreplay, orgasms, nasty thoughts and stuff.
Key element: Avoiding the sinful associations of sex.
2. Traditional View (stiff)
If Christ was 'conceived by Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-55835411777412890272009-12-09T16:07:00.000+08:002009-12-09T16:07:08.691+08:00Web 2.0 Marketing for Educational Institutions - What Should Happen BeforeIn considering an e-marketing strategy oriented around Web 2.0 technologies for educational institutions, it’s best - in line with the theme of Seth Godin's Meatball Sundaes - to go back to the overall ‘structures’ and ‘culture’ of the organisation and work from there to the gadgets and tools (e.g. blogs, twitter, facebook, the works). The spirit of a visionally transformed Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-78906450512019347352009-12-08T10:09:00.005+08:002009-12-08T15:53:13.525+08:00Traditional & Emerging Worship Styles : Walking the Fine LineThe worship wars and segregated worship dilemmas have plagued the church for at least two decades now. Being the card-carrying pluralist that I am (grin), I wouldn't insist on any particular answer or solution. What I would make compulsory, though, is clarity of thinking about what's good and bad in whatever we do.
So at the cost of super-simplification, I've divided Christian worship Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-75246641469753272002009-11-30T10:07:00.002+08:002010-01-02T19:01:21.572+08:00"We're about to go out for lunch..."That's what the nurse/receptionist told me when I registered for my check-up at the Kumpulan Medijaya in Damansara Utama. I gave a disgruntled non-smirk and eventually I had my check-up, though one can easily tell from the demeanor, the eyes, the faces (and the lack of colour in them) that they didn't want me to be there.
I left swearing I'd never go there again, not unless I was stretchered in Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-64844334664433962032009-11-19T11:49:00.001+08:002009-11-19T13:19:18.436+08:00Christian Core Doctrines and Apologetics : A Workshop Outline(Note: The below outline is almost certainly unsuitable for the group of U-20 participants in January and will be modified accordingly)
Next January's 2-day workshop at the Residential Bible School should be fun. The outline below obviously leans heavier towards apologetics but I hope to slip in additional basic beliefs throughout:
1. Trinity and the Question of God
How do we know Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-60776984616204339292009-11-19T11:04:00.002+08:002009-11-19T11:10:02.179+08:00If You Sell Jesus, People Won't BuyThere is a prevailing temptation among Christians to focus on 'selling' Jesus instead of helping people discover and know Him. In marketing parlance, it's the tendency to be product-oriented instead of being marketing-oriented.
Christians generally have this 'thing', this template, this experience, this absolute truth, that they expect others to appropriate and embrace, failing which Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-40114635837868187952009-11-19T10:29:00.006+08:002009-11-19T10:39:02.775+08:00Apologetics: 6 Pre-Answer Attitudes to AdoptIn a typical 'Christian apologetics' session at a local church group, the typical mix of questions (based on my experiences) would roughly consist of the following:
60% Apologetics/Philosophy/History (e.g. "If God was good, why [fill in your favourate global problem]?", "How can we be sure that Jesus was raised from the dead?"),
30% Christian Education (e.g. "What is the rationale for Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-80174978961473641422009-11-16T13:41:00.001+08:002009-11-19T10:39:19.589+08:00Ravi Zacharias - God's Prophet of LogicThe last time I heard Ravi Zacharias speak, I was riveted. Who Are You, God?, his sermon delivered at Calvary Church about a dozen years back, made the 45 minutes seem like less than 4.5.
Razi Zacharias is eloquent, verboise and strong. His mission is absolute/exclusive truth, absolute morality, absolute meaning. Zacharias' no.1 target is moral relativism, religious pluralism i.e. the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-15457512298482367562009-11-10T11:27:00.006+08:002009-11-10T18:39:29.914+08:00Real Music From Heaven : My Mum-in-Law's DUMC ExperienceLast Monday my mum-in-law shared an incredible experience she had at DUMC.
It was a choral session after the Chinese worship service on Sunday. The instructor was teaching my mum-in-law (together with about 50 other people) how to sing 'spiritual songs', which took the form of chanting "Hallelujah-Hallelujah-Hallelujah" over and over again in a melodious manner. Not quite a mantra but not Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-19472907853415209302009-11-05T23:35:00.004+08:002009-11-06T10:02:22.944+08:00The SalesmanThe salesman was passionate, knew his product better than I knew the back of my thumb, was well-groomed and had a good voice. But I swear I wanted to dash from the room after about half an hour (but, out of the boundless courtesy of my Asian heart, decided to stay for the full 75 or so).
If he was working for my organisation, I'd have to remind him to NOT:
dispense with the small talk Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-63646960279679765142009-11-03T17:31:00.002+08:002009-11-03T17:33:45.871+08:005Ps' of the Lord's PrayerWhat follows is an attempt at 'structuring' the Lord's Prayer. I'm assuming since Jesus taught us to pray thus, it would reflect what God Himself 'looks for' in a prayer (content-wise, at least). I'll also assume the prayer should reflect a sense of priority, completeness and cogency. So here goes:
1. Praise - all due reverence and honour; without privileging any particular 'form'Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-33121263691894528492009-11-03T15:55:00.003+08:002009-11-03T15:56:33.773+08:00Game Show vs. Reality ShowThe program I'm teaching now has an assessment structure where Multiple-Choice Questions portion is allocated 30% and a Group Report 20%. Another 50% goes to a final exam which, alas, also includes an MCQ segment.
I confess this gets to me. I mean, MCQs' are more often than not a memory game. Not only is pointless memorisation of definitions encouraged, answering via elimination Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-50344824587489540542009-10-29T16:03:00.001+08:002009-10-29T16:04:35.343+08:00Bertolt Brecht's "Interrogation of the Good"This poem was quoted in Zizek's Violence; being 'good' has never been more complicated, not least in a world where capitalism may be the very cause of the global problems (e.g. famine, bombings, poverty, etc.) its most celebrated players pledge to resolve.
To this dangerous paradox, Brecht seeks to give (paradoxical) voice. It's good (of course) that we read him thoughtfully:Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-90499534644771858922009-10-25T00:38:00.000+08:002009-10-25T00:39:28.262+08:00The Definition of BIGUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-59130012737494200802009-10-23T10:25:00.003+08:002009-10-23T10:45:52.167+08:0010 Most Over-Rated Things in the World#10 Corporate Protocol - minimal value if done, maximal damage if left undone#9 Bared Flesh as a Sex Appeal Source - it's not what you expose, it's what you have; in sex as in much else, less is more.#8 Tourist Attractions - holiday brochures are written by biz-people, remember that...#7 Meetings - 'nuff said.#6 School Examinations - we really don't need whole generations of GAME-SHOW experts; weUnknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-32787568423340755502009-10-18T15:06:00.007+08:002009-10-18T15:48:38.728+08:00"Thou Shalt Not Be Online During Worship"?Face-booking and Twitter-ing during a worship service? Now that's (surprisingly) a first for me. Text-ing on a mobile during the sermon? Sure. Accessing an i-Bible during the Bible-reading? Why not.But updating one's online status during the offering and before Communion? Hmm. With a growing percentage of worshippers owning PDAs' and i-Phones and, most importantly, bringing these to church, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-58192785058004397702009-10-17T16:54:00.003+08:002009-10-17T17:36:29.906+08:00Think CV or You're Not ThinkingThe title-quote came from Tom Peters.It's not your Job Title anymore. It's not the Department you head. It's not (even) the Number of Years of experience which matter entirely. And it sure isn't that long list of Academic (and quasi-academic) Qualifications you proudly list at the end.Job Title, Department, etc - these won't cause your CV to 'grow' very much. What would?It's your projects. What Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-74939338911692433362009-10-17T10:38:00.001+08:002009-10-17T10:40:02.808+08:00War & Tragedy in SandThe most breath-taking 8 minutes I've had all week...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-41099460394801611402009-10-14T16:27:00.004+08:002009-10-14T16:41:18.940+08:00The First Is the OnlyDenzel Washington - in a movie I can't recall - told his terrorist investigation team that after a building blows up, the first 24 hours of investigation are the only 24 hours.I'm exaggerating, but I think it works with students, too. The first lesson is, strangely enough, the 'only' lesson with them. Mess up your first hour with them (i.e. bore them, anger them, confuse them) and you've had it. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-8130422721488625522009-10-12T09:12:00.013+08:002009-10-13T17:04:55.829+08:00Bagan Pinang: The Politics of Political DefeatIt may exist in the ether somewhere. I hope it does, though I'm not holding my breath.You know, that letter cum article published quicktime after the Pakatan defeat at the hands of Barisan in Bagan Pinang? The one where we read of top Pakatan leaders (maybe even the PAS candidate Omar himself) and/or pro-Pakatan writers:congratulating Isa and BN on the victory and pledging to work with him for Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-64130975544063306022009-10-11T23:29:00.005+08:002009-10-12T00:02:50.166+08:00Lifespans, Body Counts and the Existence of GodAt a discussion this morning about suffering and evil (and the existence of God), I asked the class how they felt about an 84-year old woman who recently died. Did her death (from heart failure) 'challenge' their faith, raise doubts about God's goodness or power or love, or anything like that?The unanimous answer was: No. She was old, she lived a fruitful blessed life, she died of natural causes Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6171454496974851544.post-12299242135752781312009-10-07T11:29:00.003+08:002009-10-07T11:44:43.943+08:00Why Should I Stay?Honestly, why should I stay?You repeat shibboleth after shibboleth, or banality after banality - stuff which are either irrelevant or cliched to death.Why should I stay?You stand behind the podium repeating (nearly word for word) what your (extremely boring, I'm sorry to say) slides already show.Why should I stay?You have no stories, no movement, barely any variation in tone, hardly a smile and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2