A Skeptics Quest

SG found this interesting article on the Internet while doing some homework for the upcoming Seekers Forum. Very interesting. Below is an extract & some after-thoughts.


~~~Extract~~~~~
.....THE SEARCH BEGINS

So I started looking for answers. Now, where I was brought up, a lot of people had religion. So I took off on religion. I was involved in it morning, afternoon, and night. But I must have gone to the wrong church because I actually felt worse.

Next I thought, "Well, maybe education is the answer." So I enrolled in the university. I was probably the most unpopular student with the professors in the first university I went to in Michigan. I wanted answers.

My economic theory professor could tell me how to make a better living, but he couldn't tell me how to live better. It didn't take me long to realize that a lot of faculty members, and students too, had more problems, less meaning to life, and more frustration than I did.

Then I thought, "Maybe prestige is the answer." Find a "calling" and give your life to it. So I ran for various student body offices and got elected. It was neat - knowing everyone on campus, making decisions, spending other people's money to do what I wanted. I enjoyed it.

But every Monday morning I woke up the same individual, usually with a headache because of the night before, with the same attitude, "Well, here we go again for another five days." Monday through Friday I sort of endured. Happiness revolved around three nights a week: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Then I'd start the whole cycle again.

Eventually I became frustrated. I doubt if too many students in the universities of our country have been more sincere in trying to find meaning and truth and power and purpose in life than I was, yet I hadn't found it.

WHAT'S WITH THESE PEOPLE?

About that time, around the campus I noticed a small group of people ñ eight students and two faculty. There was something different about their lives. They seemed to have direction. They seemed to know where they were going, and that was very unusual......

Rest of Article:
http://www.greatcom.org/resources/toughquestions/skepticsquest.pdf


~~~After-Thoughts~~~~~

1. Live out a live reflecting Christ & people will be drawn naturally.
2. Intellectual conviction is essential but insufficient for conversion; supernatural courage is essential in final step.
3. Faith is key to miracles.

Christmas Party 24 Dec 06

This year, our care/cell group is participating in a cooking competition at the combined Christmas party.

Our people hard at work

Beautifying our main dish...

Our main dish- Prawns Mango Salad

Appetiser - Tomato Baked Beans & Prawns!

After the hard work, it's time to relax. Here's our whole care/cell..

while the others still sweat it out in the kitchen...

...and in the hall too.

All food onboard!

Zhihao trying his best to rescue his 'marriage-not-colourful' speech

Karen adding to the PSI for the night

Enough talk, let's tuck in!!

Sunny announcing the cooking competition results

Caroling led by Wilson

The whole gang giving their attention

Our song birds

What are thes people singing about?

The End

Watch The Lamb

It's Christmas, so time to begin with the end in mind....

Watch The Lamb
Ray Boltz

Walking On the Road
To Jerusalem,
The time had come to sacrifice,
Again,
My two small sons,
They walked beside me down the road,
The reason that they came,
Was to watch the lamb...
And they said,

"Daddy daddy,
What will we see there,
There's so much that we don't understand,"
So I told them of Moses,
And Father Abraham,
And I said dear children,
"Watch the lamb....

There will be so many,
In Jerusalem today,
We must be sure this little lamb,
Doesn't run away,"
And I told them of Moses,
And Father Abraham,
And I said "Dear children,
Watch the lamb...."

When we reached the city,
I knew something must be wrong,
There were no joyful worshippers there,
No joyful worship songs,
And I stood there,
With my children,
In the midst of angry men,
Then I heard a crowd cry out,
"Let's Crucify Him!"

We tried to leave the city,
But we could not get away,
Forced to play in this drama,
A part I did not want to play,
Why upon this day were men condemned to die,
Why were we standing right here,
Where soon they would pass by,

I looked and I said,
"Even now they come,"
The first one cried for mercy,
The people gave him none,
The second one was violent,
He was arrogant and loud,
I can still hear his angry voice,
Screaming at the crowd,

Then someone said,
"There's Jesus,"
I scarce believed my eyes,
A man so badly beaten,
He barely looked alive,
[ these lyrics found on http://www.completealbumlyrics.com ]
Blood poured from His body,
From the thorns on His brow,
Running down the cross,
And falling to the ground,

I watched as He struggled,
And I watched Him when He fell,
The cross came down upon His back,
And the crowd began to yell,
In that moment I felt such agony,
In that moment I felt such loss,
Till the roman soldier grabbed my arm and screamed,
"YOU! Carry his cro-----------ss!"

At first I tried to resist him,
But his hand reached for his sword,
So I knelt and I took
The cross from the Lord
I put it on my shoulders
We started down the street
And the blood that He'd been shedding,
Was running down my cheeck...

They led us to Golgatha
They drove nails,
Deep in His feet and hands,
And on the cross,
I heard him pray,
"Father, forgive them..."
Never have I seen such love
In any other eyes
"Into thy hands I commit my spirit,"
He prayed,
And then He died.

I stood for what seemed like years,
I lost all sense of time,
Then I felt two tiny hands
Holding onto mine
My children stood there weeping,
And I heard the oldest say
"Father please forgive us,
The lamb,
Ran away...

Daddy daddy,
What've we seen here,
There's so much that we don't understand,"
So I took them in my arms,
We turned and faced the cross
And I said
"Dear children
Watch the----- la-----mb..."


Some ask SG why he chose such a common name 'Simon' for his Christian name.

A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced
him to carry the cross. ~Mark 15:21~

Amazing Art

These are photos of a sculpture in mid-air in a Christchurch museum. Very interesting. If you walk around it, the house seems to change shape. Simple art. Why can't we have more similar art in Singapore?