In 1631, someone discovered an omission in the hot-off- the-press King James Version of the Bible. The omission has to do with one word in the seventh Commandment. The 1631 King James Version of Exodus 20:14 read ‘Thou shalt
commit adultery.’ The little word ‘not’ had been omitted! Archbishop Laud,
leader of the Church of England was so enraged by this mistake that he fined
the printers £300, which was a lifetime’s income then. From that time
onwards, the 1631 edition of the King James Version of the Bible became
known as ‘The Wicked Bible.’
A Quiet Day Retreat for Seminari Theologi Malaysia
Presbyterian historian Richard Lovelace identifies the discrepancy that exists between what the Christian ideals of a Christian life as taught in evangelical circles to the spiritual life many Christians are actually living as a “sanctification gap”. Many Christians are aware of the lack of spiritual growth in their lives in spite of having spent years learning under an effective pulpit ministry. Theologian John Coe (2009) suggests that these are “mature beginners” as they have never actually progressed in their spiritual growth.
“The sanctification gap” is defined by Christian historian Chris Armstrong
(2009) as “the dismal failure of American evangelicals to mature
spiritually.”
I liked it. This is the Star Trek movie worth the waiting for. J.J.Abrams did a great job of rebooting a tired old franchise to injected in a shot from the fountain of youth. Looking at the cast, one wonders why is all these youngsters running around, let alone running the flagship of Star Fleet, USS Enterprise NCC-1701.
Like his previous movie, Mission Impossible and television series Lost, Abrams has given us a non-stop action movie involving grand space battles, fistfights, guns/phaser shots and destruction of planets. This is an action Star Trek oriented Star Trek movie that should appeal to all science fiction buffs of all ages.
'Confucianism' (Chinese: 儒家; pinyin: Rújiā)
is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of
the Chinese philosopher Confucius (Kǒng Fūzǐ, or K'ung-fu-tzu, lit. "Master
Kung", 551–479 BC). It focuses on human morality and right action. And it is a
complex system of moral, social, political, philosophical, and quasi-religious
thought that has had tremendous influence on the culture and history of East
Asia. It might be considered a state religion of some East Asian countries,
because of governmental promotion of Confucian values.
In a crisis we are sometimes surprised that we act in a way contrary to the way we think we should act. This is because in our conscious and subconscious minds, we have a philosophy of action which forms the basis of our decision making and daily living. This philosophy may be articulated or identified clearly but for most of us, we are not aware of it. Such a philosophy of action is often acquired by enculturation.
The Batman or commonly know simply as Batman is a fictional comic character created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. For some unknown reason, Bob Kane is the only one receiving official credits. The Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. The Batman is the alter ego of millionaire Bruce Wayne. While as a child, he witnessed the brutal murder of his parents. As he grew up, he devoted his life to training himself intellectually and physically to fight crime. In order to protect his identity he dons a bat-like costume and soon became known as the Batman. Unlike other costumed superheroes in the comics, he does not have any superpowers. Like James Bond, another fictional character, he depends on his wits, martial skills and cool sophisticated, technological advanced gadgets in his crusade for justice. But unlike James Bond, the Batman has a rule: “He does not kill.” That is why he does not carry a gun.
Recently I received an email about medicine with this equation
E²- evidence + experience = good medicine
I beg to differ from my learned colleague whom I respect very much. While the practice of medicine has improved with the introduction of evidence-based medicine, it is important to realize that evidence based-medicine is not the holy grail of medical standards. Even the highest level of meta-analysis has its limitation. It is just a statistical program which analyses data fed into it. It is important not to forget the old axiom: GIGO (garbage in, garbage out). Also not everything that is done in the practice of medicine is available in the evidence-based medicine databases.
Since earliest times, Chinese
thought has been characterized by an awareness of man's close relationship with
nature and the universe, a cyclical view of time and the universe, veneration or
worship of ancestors, the idea of Heaven, and belief in the divinity of the
sovereign.
Both Confucianism and Taoism
operate within this worldview and incorporate many of its concepts. These two
organized belief systems are best viewed as complementary rather than
competitive. While Confucianism concerns itself with the social and moral side
of life, Taoism focuses on the individual, spiritual life.
“Stop!
Don’t say it” shouted Disciple Ah Kow waving a piece of parchment in front
of Ah Lek’s face. Ah Lek shut his mouth as his fellow disciple continued
reading the Proclamation.
“By the
spiritual authority granted to them, the Council of the Abba has forbidden
anyone except its members to use the following words,
(1)God
(2)I
(3)We
(4)They
(5)You
This is
to ensure the spiritual purity of these words as they pertain to the
guardians of the faith.”
“We are a
monastery. Everyday we pray to…”
“Ahhh.
Don’t say it,” warned Ah Kow. “Cannot say the ‘w’ word too.”
“Then how
am…” stammered Ah Lek lapsing into silence.
The Star Trek universes continue to unfold with contributions from both older and younger Trekkies. With the coming movie, it is hoped that there will be an infusion of fresh new blood to the creation and development of this interesting and myriad universe.
Looking back, I perceive that there are five major areas of wisdom that Star Trek has contributed to my life.
The much awaited Watchmen movie is worth the waiting for. Based on an award winning graphic novel (meaning collected comic series) by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-1987), it translated well to the big screen. It is about an alternate 1985 where Richard Nixon is a third time elected President of the United States, and about a world that is on the point of destruction by nuclear war between the United States and USSR.
The movie starts with a rather long introductory credits which fill in details of this alternate timeline from the second world war to the 1980s. Then the movie proper started with the murder of an aging vigilante who called himself Comedian. The Comedian belonged to a group of vigilantes who came together masked to fight crime and do good. They are Nite Owl 1, Rorscharch, Comedian, Dr. Manhattan, Ozmandias and Silk Spectre 1.
You are
all beginning a new phase in your medical training. Some of you are entering
the wards for the first time. You talk to and touch real patients. After two
years of reading about them, you are now dealing with flesh and blood
persons. For others this will be the second year you are dealing with
patients. You will be dealing with the new fields of paediatrics, OBYGYN and
psychiatry. For yet others you will be in your final year with graduation
and housemanship visible in the near horizon. All this is exciting and scary
at the same time. I do not think I need to remind you how privileged you are
to be doctors.
What
makes people change? How do they change? These are some of the questions
that scholars of spiritual formation and transformation are asking. We
shall examine spiritual formation and transformation in order to answer
what and how do people change. Aside from theology, I will draw upon the
developmental and system theories of social sciences to help us to
understand spiritual formation and transformation. Social sciences gives
us the insight into the epistemological (knowing), ethical (acting), and
ontological (being) processes of spiritual formation and transformation.
Hebrews 12: 28-29
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”
Sermon statement
In our busy life, especially in difficult times, there is a tendency for us to ignore God and all that God has given us. We need to re-examine ourselves and make sure we are being obedience to God. Then all the good things that God has given us will be meaningful.
Many of us live life on the run. But busyness is not an
excuse to neglect the spiritual formation of our souls. In fact the busier
we are, the more we need spiritual formation. This book allows us to
practice lectio divina, which is the Latin for spiritual reading.
Lectio divina opens us up to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives
and instills in us the disciplines of reading/listening, meditating, praying
and contemplation. Short and crisp, the meditations and stories in this
practical and thought-provoking book will give you focus in your life,
rejuvenate your soul and draw you closer to God.
In the oldest Isaiah text available, the word is ‘almâh, a word used of an unmarried woman of
marriageable age. The word refers to one who is sexually mature. It occurs
elsewhere in the Old Testament only in Genesis 24:43 (”maiden“); Exodus 2:8
(”girl“); Psalm 68:25 (”maidens“); Proverbs 30:19 (”maiden“); Song of Songs
1:3 (”maidens“); 6:8 (”virgins“). It also occurs in 1 Chronicles 15:20 (alamoth)
and in the title of Psalm 46 (alamoth may be a musical term).
The Septuagint’s translation of Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The parthenos will be
with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
parthenos means ‘virgin’.
Question: Is it possible for seventy-two Hebrew scholars to mistranslate one
word, ‘almâh in Isaiah 7:14?
One bright sunny morning, Abba Ah Beng was in a small boat on a lake below the Sow Lin Monastery. In the same boat were his disciples Ah Lek and Ah Kow, and a visiting monk, Abba Isaac. They were sharing a Christian meditation on Jesus walking on water (Matt.14: 22-34).
“Why was Jesus walking on water?” asked Abba Ah Beng of his disciples.
“To get to the other side,” answered Ah Lek innocently, “because there were no more Air Asia tickets?” Whack! “Ouch.” “Be serious,” said Abba Ah Beng, his face turning a darker shade of crimson. “To prove that he can?” ventured Ah Kow cautiously, eyeing the bamboo fan that Abba Ah Beng was holding.
Welcome! Come on in, make
yourself a cup
of coffee and let your mouse do the clicking. Look around and may you find
rest for your body , nourishment for your mind and refreshment for your soul.
Presbyterian historian Richard Lovelace identifies the discrepancy that exists between what the Christian ideals of a Christian life as taught in evangelical circles to the spiritual life many Christians are actually living as a “sanctification gap”. Many Christians are aware of the lack of spiritual growth in their lives in spite of having spent years learning under an effective pulpit ministry. Theologian John Coe (2009) suggests that these are “mature beginners” as they have never actually progressed in their spiritual growth.
What
makes people change? How do they change? These are some of the questions
that scholars of spiritual formation and transformation are asking. We
shall examine spiritual formation and transformation in order to answer
what and how do people change. Aside from theology, I will draw upon the
developmental and system theories of social sciences to help us to
understand spiritual formation and transformation. Social sciences gives
us the insight into the epistemological (knowing), ethical (acting), and
ontological (being) processes of spiritual formation and transformation.
me interacting
with the Internet
