Australia (Sydney) Trip Dec 2016

Golf, travel, food, shopping, sleep. Repeat. Thats the theme of our 2016 Holiday! Every cent is worth it!!

2017 BBC report on Denims

Amazing how this invention by a man to serve the need of miners took off and gave the world a better view on a product and solving problems. The 3 areas discussed by BBC radio focused on:

2016 Year in Review - Finding ones happy place

As humans, it is important for us to find a place where we find HAPPINESS..

Here is my list-
1. Seeing nature and its beauty, power and might,
2. Music, esp those that uplift the human spirit and triumph good over evil
3. Sports and the attraction to push oneself to the limit
4. My work, and the recognition it will bring if I do a good one.
5. Reading a good book to give me hope, to dream and to visualize what could be

Others find happiness in making people laugh or cry. Most in seeing their loved ones success. Whatever it is, finding the happy place and the happy state of mind and heart is vital to a prosperous living.

We all must pass this world once, what it is that we do good to ourselves, to our family, to our community, lets do it now, for we shall never pass this way again.

What and where is your happy place? 

Career plans

People ask me did you plan your career? I said no?

But looking back, I realized that

1. I read extensively on becoming a manager

2. I am now doing what i have read

Don't under estimate the mind power!

You are what you read!

Test blog

Got the new Iphone 7 this October 2017 and testing some new Blog apps! 

Seasons of a mans life

A world class golfer passing away...A famous govt senator passing away...elderly people in the family becoming overly sensitive...a son leaving for military service...a career in stagnating waters..personal gift unutilized...aaah the winters of a mans life..browsing a book of "vanished people" in japan (missing people)...aaah the despoticism in a mans life.

Who can man turn to? Psalm? 

Phil Trip September 16-25, 2016

Friday, Day 1 : AIR TRAVEL. The family took 2 cabs so we could fit all the luggages. After checking in at T2, we had local SG flavored lunch, then made last minute purchase (Bose wireless speaker). Uneventful as it was, I can sense the kids are looking forward for this trip. The flight was smooth, uneventful (again) as expected. Glad the 2 typhoons veered towards Taiwan. We landed before 6PM. Clearing customs was a breeze these days. Maybe a GN channel needs to feature this! Made SIM card purchase so I can use the GPS tracker during the trip. After checking in at the local hotel, asked all 14 family members to join us for dinner at a nearby mall. Everyone appeared welcoming! After dishing out the 'pasalubong' at the hotel, lights out at 11PM.


Saturday, Day 2: LAND TRAVEL to L.U, BAGUIO. Woke up to the sound of chicken cocks (5:30AM) and time to pack ! The car rental handed over the car the previous night so we packed our gears and head off! A quick petrol check allowed us to drop by nearest Mcdo for a quick breakfast. Reached my hometown before lunch and did a quick tour of the ancestral house construction. Lunch was served the Ilocano style! Kids loved the fresh fish as well. I can sense they are not used to travelling by land for 3-4 hours so exhaustion sets in. The weather is not helping either. Moments after we arrived, dark monsoon clouds began to appear. The thing is - Sept timing in the countryside means paddy fields and water laden farms across all viewing angle. The beach view is inviting but undercurrent danger always lurks. Shortly before 2 PM we head out to Baguio. Mom and dad did not join anymore since mom had problems on her swollen foot. The travel to baguio was foggy and we had to stop midway to let the fog pass. My 2 teens loved it! Once checked in at around 4-5PM, evening darkness began to set in. As a result, we had to arrange dinner at 6PM at the nearby John Hay country club with my brother and his brood. After dinner, I asked my 2 teens what do they fancy doing. Both of them agree that a good night cap with drinks be a good idea. So after dropping off the ladies and the baby, we head to a local bar. Nights out at 1030PM. It was a highly packed event!


Sunday, Day 3, GOLF and Baguio Tour. After a half day golf, (while kids are having sumptuous breakfast!), the family decided to tour baguio. Lunch, around 1PM was at AMORE resto, a retired co employee owned the business and the idea was mooted after my golf round in the morning. Soon after, we swung Mines view park, took some photos, ate taho, and since its starting to drizzle, we decided to head back to the hotel. Rested for a while, umm, massage for 1 hour (which was utterly refreshing!) and at 6 PM, dinner was at a nearby Japanese resto. Before heading back to the hotel, we stopped by a mall outlet to check out their items. Nothing new to behold. So we called it a night. Oh by the way, we also bumped into a Baguio based family whom we hosted in our house. World is getting smaller ! (PS. Scored 76, lowest EVER on any round!!)


Monday, Day 4, LAND TRAVEL AGAIN,  L.U and Clark. Breakfast was glorious at the hotel! We even chance upon a local radio and TV broadcaster/presenter. My 2 teen boys also stumbled upon a SG based family who's their inner friends. Took plenty of photos across and around the hotel garden and we head out 1030AM to travel. Along the way, bought vegetables, honey and peanut brittle to munch! Reached LU around 12, head back again to our ancestral house construction and picked up mom for lunch at the CK town area. Quick 2 hr bonding with family and before we knew it, were about to hit the road again to beat 6PM deadline of the car rental. It was raining along the way and as per plan we drop Dau to get my brother ride a public transport and pick up our next vehicle for the next leg.


Tuesday, Day 5, GOLF@John Hay, MALLING. (Sun valley, TGIF dinner at Marquee Mall). Being in clark has plenty of advantages. Well you get to go to malls, leisure areas like casino, bars and the place is just teeming with nightlife from all sizes and shapes. Since we have a baby boy, we decided the best place is obviously to have him walk in the comforts of a not-so-crowded-place. Hence we choose the ayala designed marquee mall in order to maintain some privacy. And oh by the way, the Sun valley course is insane hard but scenery is spectacular! It takes precision and skill to keep your ball in play. Else one suffers painfully. Lunch was served at the country club resto managed by Koreans. It was splendid! Kids love the lean meat offering. We had pictures all around the place before heading back home. Had a massage to while away the golf game. Worth it! (P.S. Despite being a tough course, scored a 97 on sun valley)


Wednesday, Day 6, LAND TRAVEL to Cavite, via Bulacan, QC Jollibee. Before checking out at the hotel, we had to taste the best breakfast set of Tocilog and Longsilog I ever tasted. It was a resto off the main highway of clark going to main gate and within the Petron gas station. The place is called "CALLE'. Kids loved the porky delight! After checking out at 1030, we head to manila/cavite. En route my 2nd teen son wanted to check out the Nike and Adidas outlet mall for items. My wife ended up buying 3 pairs of exercise leggings as golf get up! At the behest of our kids, we had to rendezvous with my brother and his daughter at the Oral declamation contest. It was worth it! We had to make one big roundabout and drove around bulacan (outskirts) of manila in anticipation of heavy traffic (which occurred along East ave exit!). Along the way, hunger pangs set in and we drove by Jollibee commonwealth to pick up some tidbits. We left clark at 1030, reached EDSA at 430PM then headed to skyway to drop by yet another pick up, my niece! So we arrived at San Pedro 530PM and finally to Cavite around 630PM!) Whew!!


Thursday, Day 7, GOLF@sherwood, dinner at Tagaytay, malling at Ayala, nightcap! This is pretty much the order of the day. While our mornings are occupied by golf, and the kids are still asleep and resting, afternoons are made for going outs. On our first day, our kids wanted to see Twin Lakes as the newest attraction. And off we went! The view was worth the 1hr trip. I suddenly felt 1 hr is loong when driving in tiny singapore! To satisfy my craving for buko pie, asked wifey to buy in the nearby shop. Checking her grocery items revealed more than just buko pie. It was litterred with pika pika food like buko tarts and some other items. No complaints though. We ended up having "UNLI" coffee while enjoying tagaytay early evening breeze. Aaaaahhh, if only all of my country is this temperate climate!  After coffee we head out to check out the mall and buy my baby boy his sandals. The price and quality is not bad! Worth it! Our week is coming to an end. So we had to maximize our time malling around...(P.S Scored 93 on Sherwood so not bad!)


Friday, Day 8, GOLF@Riviera, dinner at Ayala alabang, Mall hopping, starbucks Vista city. Wifey and I has this day as our last day of golf. And so I booked the toughest one around - Riviera@Silang, LANGER course. This course was something! The rough is well, very rough! You will end up sacrificing one stroke off your score if your ball lands on this rough. After a painful struggle off the back 9, I scored a miserable 101! But hey, I know now what to do for course which has thick rough!


Saturday, Day 9, GOLF@Eagle ridge, dinner at QC Korean, bag shopping@John carlo creations. "I need to recover from my misery". So I told my wife. So I decided to go Eagle ridge for my 'penultimate' golf adventure holiday! Finally scored below 100 on the 2nd toughest course. I played Faldo while all members say Dye is the tough one. The starter managed to get me 2 balls and I ended up playing with a lawyer and a businessman. They were 15-20 yrs my senior so I enjoyed playing!


Sunday, Day 10, Fly back! You know when you get lucky and your mind is bringing tricks on you, then you know thats the time that you cant distinguish reality from fiction. In our case, of all the flights and timingon the world, guess who was with us during our trip - a Vlogger named Wil Dasovich! Yes!

Repost from an insightful FB advise on ageing!

Many of us are between 65 and death, i.e. old. My friend Alan S Bame sent me this excellent list for aging . . . and I have to agree it's good advice to follow.  I'm particularly interested in tune with #19.

 1. It’s time to use the money you saved up. Use it and enjoy it.  Don’t just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. Remember there is nothing more dangerous than a son or daughter-in-law with big ideas for your hard-earned capital. Warning: This is also a bad time for investments, even if it seems wonderful or fool-proof. They only bring problems and worries. This is a time for you to enjoy some peace and quiet.

 

2. Stop worrying about the financial situation of your children and grandchildren, and don’t feel bad spending your money on yourself. You’ve taken care of them for many years, and you’ve taught them what you could. You gave them an education, food, shelter and support. The responsibility is now theirs to earn their own money.

 

3. Keep a healthy life, without great physical effort. Do moderate exercise (like walking every day), eat well and get your sleep. It’s easy to become sick, and it gets harder to remain healthy. That is why you need to keep yourself in good shape and be aware of your medical and physical needs. Keep in touch with your doctor, do tests even when you’re feeling well. Stay informed.

 

4. Always buy the best, most beautiful items for your significant other. The key goal is to enjoy your money with your partner. One day one of you will miss the other, and the money will not provide any comfort then, enjoy it together.

5. Don’t stress over the little things. You’ve already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories and bad ones, but the important thing is the present. Don’t let the past drag you down and don’t let the future frighten you. Feel good in the now. Small issues will soon be forgotten.

 

6. Regardless of age, always keep love alive. Love your partner, love life, love your family, love your neighbor and remember: “A man is not old as long as he has intelligence and affection.”

 

7. Be proud, both inside and out. Don’t stop going to your hair salon or barber, do your nails, go to the dermatologist and the dentist, keep your perfumes and creams well stocked. When you are well-maintained on the outside, it seeps in, making you feel proud and strong.

 

8. Don’t lose sight of fashion trends for your age, but keep your own sense of style. There’s nothing worse than an older person trying to wear the current fashion among youngsters. You’ve developed your own sense of what looks good on you – keep it and be proud of it. It’s part of who you are.

 

9. ALWAYS stay up-to-date. Read newspapers, watch the news. Go online and read what people are saying. Make sure you have an active email account and try to use some of those social networks. You’ll be surprised what old friends you’ll meet. Keeping in touch with what is going on and with the people you know is important at any age.

 

10. Respect the younger generation and their opinions. They may not have the same ideals as you, but they are the future, and will take the world in their direction. Give advice, not criticism, and try to remind them that yesterday’s wisdom still applies today.

 

11. Never use the phrase: “In my time.” Your time is now. As long as you’re alive, you are part of this time. You may have been younger, but you are still you now, having fun and enjoying life.

 

12. Some people embrace their golden years, while others become bitter and surly. Life is too short to waste your days on the latter. Spend your time with positive, cheerful people, it’ll rub off on you and your days will seem that much better. Spending your time with bitter people will make you older and harder to be around.

 

13. Do not surrender to the temptation of living with your children or grandchildren (if you have a financial choice, that is). Sure, being surrounded by family sounds great, but we all need our privacy. They need theirs and you need yours. If you’ve lost your partner (our deepest condolences), then find a person to move in with you and help out. Even then, do so only if you feel you really need the help or do not want to live alone.

14. Don’t abandon your hobbies. If you don’t have any, make new ones. You can travel, hike, cook, read, dance. You can adopt a cat or a dog, grow a garden, play cards, checkers, chess, dominoes, golf. You can paint, volunteer or just collect certain items. Find something you like and spend some real time having fun with it.

 

15. Even if you don’t feel like it, try to accept invitations. Baptisms, graduations, birthdays, weddings, conferences. Try to go. Get out of the house, meet people you haven’t seen in a while, experience something new (or something old). But don’t get upset when you’re not invited. Some events are limited by resources, and not everyone can be hosted. The important thing is to leave the house from time to time. Go to museums, go walk through a field. Get out there.

16. Be a conversationalist. Talk less and listen more. Some people go on and on about the past, not caring if their listeners are really interested. That’s a great way of reducing their desire to speak with you. Listen first and answer questions, but don’t go off into long stories unless asked to. Speak in courteous tones and try not to complain or criticize too much unless you really need to. Try to accept situations as they are. Everyone is going through the same things, and people have a low tolerance for hearing complaints. Always find some good things to say as well.

 

17. Pain and discomfort go hand in hand with getting older. Try not to dwell on them but accept them as a part of the cycle of life we’re all going through. Try to minimize them in your mind. They are not who you are, they are something that life added to you. If they become your entire focus, you lose sight of the person you used to be.

 

18. If you’ve been offended by someone – forgive them. If you’ve offended someone - apologize. Don’t drag around resentment with you. It only serves to make you sad and bitter. It doesn’t matter who was right. Someone once said: “Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.” Don’t take that poison. Forgive, forget and move on with your life.

 

19. If you have a strong belief, savor it. But don’t waste your time trying to convince others. They will make their own choices no matter what you tell them, and it will only bring you frustration. Live your faith and set an example. Live true to your beliefs and let that memory sway them.

 

20. Laugh. Laugh A LOT. Laugh at everything. Remember, you are one of the lucky ones. You managed to have a life, a long one. Many never get to this age, never get to experience a full life. But you did. So what’s not to laugh about? Find the humor in your situation.

 

21. Take no notice of what others say about you and even less notice of what they might be thinking. They’ll do it anyway, and you should have pride in yourself and what you’ve achieved. Let them talk and don’t worry. They have no idea about your history, your memories and the life you’ve lived so far. There’s still much to be written, so get busy writing and don’t waste time thinking about what others might think. Now is the time to be at rest, at peace and as happy as you can be!

 

AND, as Alan's message suggests. REMEMBER: “Life is too short to drink bad wine.”   Or, in my case, bad Arnold Palmer.

Shanghai travel 2016

Shanghai has transformed itself from a sleepy city scape to a vibrant, cosmopolitan and upbeat chinese city.

If I compare my first time here10 years ago, the city has grown disproportionate to its inhabitans ability to cope with change.

What used to be dusty nanjing road has been replaced by glitzy glamorous and gargantuan skyscrapers the likes of which a modern man has not built on such a scale and speed!

Quotable Quotes today - July 26

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.

A leader who does not listen will soon find himself with people who have nothing to say...

Season of a Mans Life

I am reading this book about a controversial man and his book/life reminded me about the following.

1. In order to be filthy rich, one has to operate on the edge or bounds of law. Found out so much about how he operates on an international level and (if true) he is indeed a genius in establishing contacts and relationships, utilizing (genuinely) over time, when the need arises. But amidst all that, he remains a very trustworthy man. A trait that all traders or businessmen need to possess. Folks our word should be our bond. PERIOD!

MORAL of the story: find a niche one is passionate about, operate on the edge.

2. Nothing beats hard work. 15 to 16 hour days. Yes. That is how long he works in his office. From 7-11 or sun up till midnight. Everyday. Weekends included. Not sure what is his motivation. But surely, he has been able to demonstrate that one has to LOVE iwhat one does in order not to get tired doing such.

MORAL of the story:  work is your friend. Like a friend, he will come to your rescue when you need it the most. 

3. Success is dressed in overall not a suit. remember a time when I was a boy and one of my daily chore is to clean up my grandma/grandpas pigpen. The smell. The odor. The filth. All of it. I sucked up and just cleaned it up to my hearts content. I resent such 'slave' work then. But as time goes by, those 'tasks' made me who I am today. I know the smell since I am at the shopfloor. And as such,

MORAL of the story: roll up your sleeve and get to work:)

MIMO CHIN and Hk

And the ride continues.. From 30 min to 3 hr layover in HK...so if youre stuck, what to do?

1. Grab a japanese ramen lunch-check!

2. Sip a starbucks frapuccinocoffee to cool some nerves - check!

3. Hunt for some bargain pasalubong?-check!

4. Pause and read a good book? Check!

5. Update on FB? Check!

MIMO

Meeting In Meeting Out

Learned something new today. Business people who spend day in day out of meetings.

My fascination for bargain hunting continues. Take advantge of uniqlo shirt.

Duffel bag at Zara for 80 sgd?, not bad!

End the day learning more on VLOG trend.

Source of Brain Food

Where do we source the news we feed our thoughts?

On a recent business trip, I stand in awe as people started gazing on their mobile phones as soon as the plane touches down. People are on to CNN, BBC and maybe some other local language news that feeds into their phones.

Realization - he who controls the news controls their views!!!

Poor people. They probably are oblivious to how much manipulation media has on news coverage these days. Then again, we all have a choice, right.

For me, in normal daily circumstance, I chose to
1. Get news from social circle, maybe FB.
2. Get news from word of mouth,
3. Scan news from the TV or BBC radio.

This way you have a fairly realistic view of whats going on the world! My last priority is on the news apps!

Why? The pattern is eerily the same elsewhere!

Today

I made conscious effort to mix and match my day with work and RnR. 

Woke up very early to catch flight

Stayed at airport lounge to eat bfast

- work begins at lounge

Arrived at destinatio airport

Had late lunch

Checked in to hotel, 

Called family

- work again

Had quick dinner

Did therapy on my sore back

Shop a bit

Went back to my room 

- work again

Called family

Watched tvlogs as i doze to sleep

So far so good. That has been my day.

Good night people! 

Fathers Day Reflections

Models are there mainly for one purpose-to model. Whether marvelling at a model airplane, a model house, a model life etc, lets not forget one thing - Models are meant to approach reality. 

But reality is more than just a model. 

In trying to be a model dad, a model son and a model employee, the roles are just too much to bear for a man.

Instead of trying hard to be a "model everything", my goal now is to search deep and hard on my own self. Understand my strengths and weaknesses, and in the process inspire others to do the same.

Thoughts this day

May wk 5 Reflections

Been back to my readings lately, and heres how its shaping up.

Skipped almost april and may entirely due to business travels.. Nonetheless managed to dig and preached the word closest to my heart last sunday. Text is on 1 corinthians 3:10-17. Sermonic idea is : Build as if it is our last! 

Meanwhile,the bible writers love to use imagery! In 2 samuel we see the writer using the analogy of a "mother bear who has been enraged by the robbing of her cubs"..

On the same vein, I always find it beautiful to read how bible writers are so aligned even if they lived and were spread by thousands of years.

 In John 19, the writer mentioned that "This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, "They divided my clothes among them  and cast lots for my garment.”[a] " referring to the way Jesus clothes has been been divided and the undergarmet casted as lot instead of being torn since it is seamless.

Just read an article on rzim, and it posits that often, we people judge the book by its cover all the time. 

March week 2 Reflections - The Greatest Commandment

OT Narrative
- Each person has strengths and weaknesses. Utilize and hone strength so that the weakness will be overpowered by his/he strength!
- Levites are like first borns, segregated for the Lords!
- Puzzling why the cloud of smoke keeps moving when original interpretation by scientist said the cloud of smoke comes in fact from the volcano in the region!
- Blowing of trumpets (in effect sound of music) always bears significant impact to either people going to battle or a major event needing the Lords presence. Maybe a good way to start praise and worship to sound the trumpet too! Battle against principalities and power!
- Numbers 10: 10. It seems only the Israelites are complaining, but here we see Moses likewise complaining to the Lord!
10 Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled.11 He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their ancestors?13 Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.

0 Psalm 51
 Create in me a pure heart, O God,  and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

NT Narrative
- The oldest and greatest commandment bears 3 words: LOVE ONE ANOTHER
- The woman pouring expensive perfume on Jesus feet still amazes me to this day. Especially if it was sung with the song "Alabaster Box".
- Strategy of warfare has always been 'striking the shepherd' so the sheep will be scatterred. 

March wk1 Reflections - Unacceptable Sacrifices!??

OT NARRATIVE
- Not all sacrifices are pleasing to the LORD! Not everything that counts can be counted.
- More words-more mistakes. Brevity the brother of bravado.
- Power of the spoken word. But still - out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. So be careful what we put inside our hearts.
- Eating but never satisfying. Drinking but never quenching. Planting but never reaping. Result? Discontentment. Maybe designed by God that our contentment rest in Him and in Him alone.
- Levites (musicians) were set apart. They have no ownership whatsoever in the land, only the maintenance of the temple, tabernacle and the worship place.
- NAZARITES - if we are being chosen by the Lord to do a special task, just obey, and if we dont, consequences will follow. (Samson the Nazirite)

Proverbs 10:19Sin is not ended by multiplying words,  but the prudent hold their tongues.

Proverbs 10:20-21: The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.

Proverbs 10:22The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it.

Leviticus 25: 20 Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of your land yield their fruit.

NT NARRATIVE
- Whoever is not against us is for us! (Or the enemy of your enemy is your friend!)
- Being hopeful in what we don't see. Tough but doable.
- I need to remind myself of this - that in order to lead - become the greatest servant of all!
- May we never be like the donkey who was the medium of Gods as he enters Jerusalem.
- When tempted or tested, ask God to drive away the naysayers in order that His Will be done.
- Give to ceasar what is to Ceasar, and to the Lord what is to the Lord.
-

Hebrews 11

11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Mark 10: 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Feb wk 4 Reflections - More insightful ways to learn to live

OT narrative
- REALITY BITES! Lets not be prideful as a mans life is nothing but a chaff.
- Wonders of Olive oil in the olden days: Why hasnt this biological wonders been publicized?
- GUILT OFFERING:  boils and skin disease caused by acts not pleasing to the Lord????
- SCAPEGOAT does exist till today!
- LGBT in Leviticus is very explicit!
- PSALM 41 reverberates in my heart. Even your so called BFF can indeed turn against you. What I learned in this life - value your direct family members. They are with you no matter what. !
- With all the laws and regulations in Leviticus - what IF we follow them?>
- The Lord said " KEEP MY DECREES, SO THAT...". For sure it would not hurt if we as His creations try to keep his. Im sure it will be close to impossible - but doable.

PSALM 39:5: Everyone is but a breath,  even those who seem secure.[bPROVERBS 10:12: Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.Leviticus 15:21: He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. 22 The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.Leviticus 18:22 “‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman;that is detestable.Psalm 41All my enemies whisper together against me;they imagine the worst for me, saying,8 “A vile disease has afflicted him;he will never get up from the place where he lies.”9 Even my close friend,someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.

NT narrative

- Prophet without honor. This rings a bell. People will always associate people with their ancestors, where they come from, not what they have achieved nor what they have become. It is a sad reality and truth that we must come to terms.
- Guilt took the better of rulers: Herod did a detastable act of marrying his brothers wife thus ordered the killing of John the baptist!
- Feeding the five thousand: the magic number of God rings true yet again: 5+2 equals 7. Five loaves plus 2 fish! Also 12 basketfull of leftover, which probably represents 12 tribes of Israel.
- Walking on water: why is it that an actual account of Jesus miraculous walk on water is being used as symbology today to doing the impossible?
- Feeding four thousand according to Mark - still there were 7 leftovers of basket. And 7 breads were broken! Again, its the Lords magic number 7!
- For what profits a man who gains the whole world but loses his own soul.

Mark 7:15Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” [16] [f]

21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean

Feb wk 3 Reflections - Movitation for the Ritualistic Practice?

OT Narrative
- Design of the Tabernacle is awe inspiring! Even the design of the priestly garments, which begs my interest as to why of all the possible designs matches, this is the one that God has chosen to intervene.
- Burnt, grain, fellowship offering - what is God teaching us? My initial take is to ensure disciplined lifestyle of being a christ follower.
- Sin and Guilt offering - basis of law??
- Discipline, hardwork - basic tenet of getting ahead in life.

- Godly man acts in Godly ways - love the unvolable and bear patience to the unbearable.

- biblical diet : a must try approach to good health

- In Hebrew, the guilt offering comes from the word asham, meaning guilt. Restitution was necessary, and the Hebrew word for trespass comes from the word ma’al, meaning a violation of another person, either God or man, of what was rightfully his.

Here are some concrete ideas for handling guilt: 

1. Our conscience must be correctly trained. It must alert us when we have failed to do, as we ought. This requires faithful teaching:

1 Timothy 1:3, 5 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer … The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

Hebrews 5:11-12, 14 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk not solid food! … But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

2. Not all of our sin will be known to us. This is really an extension of the first point, but it also covers those times when we just feel unworthy. The sin nature is a deep, festering pool. Now that we know the Lord instituted an offering for this, we may have confidence that this is normal and covered by the cross.

3. Confession is better than denial. First John 1:9 validates the role confession has in the life of the believer. It contains the promise of cleansing, and by faith, we know that our known failings will eventually be behind us, and our unknown failings brought to light and cleansed. Confessing unknown sinfulness is appropriate.

4. When restitution is possible, make it. When restitution is offered, accept it. Restitution is what uniquely distinguishes the guilt offering from the sin offering. Restitution brings healing, and cancels the legal and moral debt on the horizontal level between men.

5. Learn the lesson, and leave it behind you. I suspect that it is here that we drop the ball. But consider the Israelite who appears before the priest with the property of his neighbor, plus 20 percent of its value in grain, plus the ram. When all has been offered, what else is there to do? The moral and legal debt is paid. What more can he do? Nothing. Continuing to carry it around as baggage is not faith and may violate the holiness of the guilt offering and the atonement of the priest.

For the believer, our guilt offering is Jesus Christ. Restitution is our responsibility, and confession and cleansing are offered to us. Even if it is a recurring sin, we need to confess it and leave the guilt behind us.

Christ Our Guilt Offering

We are guilty of violating the Lord’s holy things. We are guilty of unknown sins, and we have wronged our neighbors. The good news comes from the prophet Isaiah who wrote:

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many and he will bear their iniquities (Isaiah 53:10-11).

Messiah was prophesied to be our guilt offering. The word “justify” means to declare “not guilty.” The moral and legal debt is canceled, but there is more. The author of Hebrews wrote:

And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts; and I will write them on their minds.” Then He adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:10-18).

Jesus Christ, our sin offering, is the eternal solution to our guilt. He offered Himself for your guilt, but you must acknowledge your guilt and accept this guilt offering He made for you. Then you can rejoice in the knowledge that you will be made holy.

(https://bible.org/seriespage/6-guilt-offering-leviticus-514-67-71-6) 

Proverbs 9:11-12

11 For through wisdom[a] your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.

Proverbs 9:13-18

“Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!”

Psalm 37

1 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

Proverbs 10:3-4New International Version (NIV)

3 The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked. Lazy hands make for poverty,  but diligent hands bring wealth.

Proverbs 10:5New International Version (NIV)

5 He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son,  but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

NT Narrative
- After baptism comes trial and testing!!
- Basic tenet of Christianity - Jesus came to heal the sick, and tend to the sinners!
- Parable of the sower reminded us that words not practiced is useless!

- Jesus always taught in parables. Stories does bring home a point better than describing an event per se.

- Actions does speak louder than words! Jesus prayed. Healed. Turned water into wine. Fed the five thousand. Confronted tyrants. Counseled the sick. Commanded the wind to stop. He is THE WORD!
- Faith does heals! 

- As long as a persons ways are blameless then there is nothing to be afraid of.

Mark 2:13-3:6

 17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”