Articles (Page 86)

By Not Known Messages bombard us every day. Emails, SMS, IM and Face Book posts are a digital tsunami that threatens to swamp us. Let alone web sites, newspapers, government announcements, junk mail, phone chats, post-it notes, memos and even face-to-face talks. Many of these messages are spam. They have a momentary significance that passes with a digital stroke or a…

By Not Known Our spirits are often trapped by restlessness and change is our only constant. Thus we seek whatever is new or different. This may be the trivial pursuit of the latest mobile gadget, the vain pursuit of a new ‘look’ , or,the ‘green grass’ pursuit of a new job. Or perhaps our search for the new makes us wistful for a new home, a new…

By Not Known Some of us came from non-Christian families and followed another faith before our conversion. Others came from Christian families, but had a period of wandering from God before Jesus became ours in a very personal way. Others again have periods of wayward backsliding. Either way, we all have ‘baggage‘. There are things in our past of which we are…

By Not Known New Year is a time of reunion meals. These are times to remember the past, celebrate the present and anticipate the future. At these meals we cement the ties that bind us to loved ones and re-launch our family for the New Year. The Old Testament Hebrews had a similar annual meal in the Passover festival (Exo 12:1-20). Passover was a great occasion when people…

By Not Known By now, we would surely begin to see a better picture of what the Corinthians are really like. It is so easy for us to point our fingers and say, "These people give Christianity a bad name!" Before we point our accusing fingers, let us remember Jesus’ words, "Let him who has no sin, cast the first stone." (Jn 8:7). In 1 Cor 5:11,…

By Not Known We presently have some reminders of the multi-cultural and multi-faith aspects of Singapore. The colourful spectacle of Thaipusam reminded us of the Hindu community. The upcoming Lunar New Year testifies to the power of traditional beliefs in those following the lunar calendar. And so it continues with the festivals of the Moslem and Buddhist communities at…

By Not Known It has often been said that one becomes like who he or she follows. This suggests that people influence one another and that we are shaped by certain charisma in its broadest sense. The proverb “birds of the same feathers flock together” further suggests that people often click around some strongly felt commonalities. Putting both factors together…

By Not Known As an avid coffee drinker, I love this story. The beans of this certain coffee come from a remote part of Java although several other Southeast Asian countries also claim to have such coffee. It is supposedly the most exquisite, exotic, and most expensive coffee in the world. At US$300 for 450 grams, it could well be. Those who can afford and are able to…