Month: August 2013

Why is it so Easy for Leaders to Fake It?

Posted on Friday, 30 August, 2013Sunday, 20 August, 2017 by Zheluo Cai

Why is it so Easy for Leaders to Fake It? This is a discerning article with thoughts that had been preoccupying my mind in the past months. Francis Chan lays it out well. Just a tidbit here: “I refuse to let my public passion exceed my private devotion. Remember, being

Do Not Be Afraid of Others’ Opinions

Posted on Wednesday, 28 August, 2013Sunday, 20 August, 2017 by Zheluo Cai

Do Not Be Afraid of Others’ Opinions Reflection: Matthew 10:20; Mark 13:11; Luke 12:12; John 21:22–23 Fear not to appear little and contemptible, or to be called by men fools and madmen; but announce penance in simplicity, trusting in Him who overcame the world by humility; it is He that

The Bethany Altercation

Posted on Sunday, 25 August, 2013Sunday, 20 August, 2017 by Zheluo Cai

Reflection: John 11 Jesus possibly spent significant time with the family of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus whenever he was in Bethany. A clue in verse one mentioned a future event (John 12: 1-8) when Mary poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair, giving us some

Child Brides

Posted on Saturday, 24 August, 2013Sunday, 20 August, 2017 by Zheluo Cai

Child Brides Every day, more than 25,000 girls under the age of 18 are married worldwide, human rights groups estimate. For many child brides, a future of poverty, exploitation, and poor health awaits. Here are nine things you should know about a practice that is harming girls around the globe.

Measurement of Stars’ Luminosities

Posted on Monday, 19 August, 2013Sunday, 20 August, 2017 by Zheluo Cai

Measurement of Stars’ Luminosities In the 1910s, Danish astronomer Ejnar Hertzsprung and American Henry Norris Russell independently plotted the luminosities or intrinsic brightnesses of stars against their temperatures or colours. They found that most stars lie along a narrow strip that runs from hot and luminous to cool and dim

God’s Sovereignty & Suffering

Posted on Sunday, 18 August, 2013Sunday, 20 August, 2017 by Zheluo Cai

Reflection: Job The Book of Job is synonymous with suffering, describing Job’s losses, conversations, and consequences. His traumatic predicament is an empathetically difficult situation for any of us to personally associate, and for that reason it makes for arduous reading through the manuscript. This is a perfectly understandable human reaction,

Those Struggling with Same-Sex Attraction

Posted on Thursday, 15 August, 2013Sunday, 20 August, 2017 by Zheluo Cai

Those Struggling with Same-Sex Attraction A few rational and gracious thoughts from Pastor Kevin deYoung on welcoming a fellow sinner to our congregation, without the ‘battle-hype!’ Would this be Jesus’ approach to another struggler? Read it here: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2013/08/15/five-commitments-to-those-struggling-with-same-sex-attraction-in-our-midst/?fb_action_ids=168559473329786&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

The Importance of Perseverance

Posted on Wednesday, 14 August, 2013Sunday, 20 August, 2017 by Zheluo Cai

The Importance of Perseverance Reflection: Matthew 24:13; Romans 5:3–4; James 5:10–11 Without perseverance the soldier does not obtain victory, nor the victor his crown. It lends vigor to the will and perfects all virtues, it is the nurse to merit and the mediator between the battle and the prize. Perseverance

Inflation in the Universe

Posted on Tuesday, 13 August, 2013Sunday, 20 August, 2017 by Zheluo Cai

Inflation in the Universe The Universe has been expanding since the Big Bang, but there may have been a time called the inflationary era, when the Universe grew10⁷⁸ times its size in 10³⁶ seconds. If the inflationary epoch happened, it would make the current Universe much bigger than it would

How Large is the Universe?

Posted on Sunday, 11 August, 2013Sunday, 20 August, 2017 by Zheluo Cai

Telescopes can see galaxies whose light has been travelling almost 13.8 billion years and thus look as they did just after the Big Bang. Because the Universe is expanding at an accelerated rate, those galaxies are now some 46 billion light-years away. The observable Universe thus has a diameter of

The Maganoy Episode (Part 2)

Posted on Sunday, 11 August, 2013Sunday, 20 August, 2017 by Zheluo Cai

Reflection: Psalm 121; Psalm 91. On 13 May 1988 at 11.30pm, we were awakened from our sleep by loud voices and someone banging on our wooden wall. We peeked through a closed window slat and saw, to our horror, the attap roof of the house five meters opposite us on

48th Singapore National Day

Posted on Friday, 9 August, 2013Sunday, 20 August, 2017 by Zheluo Cai

48th Singapore National Day How blessed are the people whose God is the LORD! Psalm 144:15 That remains my prayer for our nation.

Nothing Like the Name of Jesus

Posted on Thursday, 8 August, 2013Sunday, 20 August, 2017 by Zheluo Cai

Nothing Like the Name of Jesus Reflection: Matthew 11:29; Philippians 2:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:12 There is nothing like the Name of Jesus for restraining anger, assuaging the swellings of pride, healing the wound of envy, restraining the course of wantonness, quenching the flame of lust, moderating the thirst of covetousness,

God or Mammon?

Posted on Wednesday, 7 August, 2013Sunday, 20 August, 2017 by Zheluo Cai

God or Mammon? An interesting view on money from Jacques Ellul (January 6, 1912 – May 19, 1994), where he reflects on money as a power in itself; hence God or Mammon. He was a French philosopher, law professor, sociologist, lay theologian, and Christian anarchist. Read further here: http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-blogs/169300-ellul-on-jesus-and-mammon.html#.UgHqm3n58Pw.facebook

The Maganoy Episode (Part 1)

Posted on Sunday, 4 August, 2013Sunday, 20 August, 2017 by Zheluo Cai

(Last week’s Jeremiah reflection provoked some memories). Reflection: Psalm 121; Psalm 91. Two years after our arrival in the Philippines on 9 December 1987, we immersed into our Maguindanaon acculturation programme at Labu-labu Village, in the Maganoy Municipality: an agricultural and lumbering community 50 km southeast of Cotabato City on

5 Dangerous Warning Signs for Pastors

Posted on Thursday, 1 August, 2013Sunday, 20 August, 2017 by Zheluo Cai

In the epic book and movie, Lord of the Rings, I’ve learned a great spiritual lesson that I pray will guide me and protect me and the people I lead at Transformation Church, including my precious wife and children. In this epic story, Sméagol kills a friend for a special ring