I was talking to a friend about… the reason why i feel I would most likely be
alone all the days of my life…

Hmm one of my friends commented that maybe because i have no requirements,
which means almost everyone qualify, and in the end I would have no idea which
I really like…

Or…. sometimes I think I am so afriad of hurting others and being hurt… so for a while.. I almost branded myself as “A Desperado” ..and this songs pop up in my mind when I was thinking abt it.

This is a song by Eagles, but personally I also like Emi Fujitas version…. maybe I think
if a lady were to sing that to me I will be so surprised…

Anyway I will be posting both versions, 1 by Eagles, and the other by Emi Fujita

Title: Desperado
Artist: Eagles

Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
You been out ridin’ fences for so long now
Oh, you’re a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin’ you
Can hurt you somehow
Don’ you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
She’ll beat you if she’s able
You know the queen of heats is always your best bet

Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can’t get

Desperado, oh, you ain’t gettin’ no youger
Your pain and your hunger, they’re drivin’ you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that’s just some people talkin’
Your prison is walking through this world all alone

Don’t your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won’t snow and the sun won’t shine
It’s hard to tell the night time from the day
You’re loosin’ all your highs and lows
Ain’t it funny how the feeling goes away?

Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin’, but there’s a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you, before it’s too late

Lately, while I am staying in this foreign land, I suddenly got myself bombarded with many issues of life, and practical things that never come to my mind that I must worry about it at all…

Then I started to go before God and pleaded with him… saying.. I decided to leave my home and my country, because I felt that God has a special reason for me to leave… Suddenly I find myself trapped in all sorts of funny logistics problem, and I also find myself unable to fullfill what God wanted me to do..

I never said that it was God’s fault, but I am concern if I am not treading on the right path that God intended me to follow… So in my prayers, I asked God.. “O Lord, please show me the way to go, if the path I have taken isnt what you want me to, please let me know… as I am so afriad that I will end up losing both my oringinal purpose, and not fulfilling your will… Please just give me an indication of your will…. please Lord”

That morning, before I left for work, I was singing hymns to myself .. and I just suddenly flip to Hymn 96, which is amazing grace… Usually I would sing that in Chinese, but I just started to use my english hymn book that morning…. and Gods answer seems to be there… It was written on the 3rd and 4th stanza of the hymn… God is telling me

God has protected me through many dangers, toils and snares.. and this grace that brought me safe thus far… it will bring me safely home too… (As I was singing that, I recalled the many things that happened in my life, and how God had protected me, although I have lost my faith and stopped praying to him)

God has promised good to me, and in his word I must secure my hope… He will be my shield and portion … as long as life endures..

Suddenly, as I was singing that, I started to tear slightly, and I thank God for his indication…

Hence, I would like to share this hymn with all of you… This is written by John Newton… Intiailly he wasnt close to God, his youth is filled with religious confusion and a lack of moral self control and discipline. He joined the royal navy and he became a slave trader.. On his slave voyage, once there was a storm, and moments after he left the deck, the crewman who took over him was swept overboard. He started to realise his helplessness, and only the grace of God can save him. That was the begining of his journey of faith. He wrote this hymn base on 1 Chron 17:16-17 in the prayer of King David… This hymns is also remembered by both fractions in the American Civil war.

Amazing Grace

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

I found an interesting tune of this in youtube. This is sang in the Cherokee language
Lets hear it together

I just come across Weird Al Yankovich’s parody of Madonna’s song “Like a virgin”
Actually I suddenly feel like singing this to all my dear bros and sis in the medical profession.. Those who are interns now or up and aspiring interns.

Title: Like a Surgeon
Artist: Weird Al Yankovich

I finally made it through med school
Somehow I made it through
I’m just an intern
I still make a mistake or two

I was last in my class
Barely passed at the institute
Now I’m trying to avoid, yeah I’m trying to avoid
A malpractice suit

Hey, like a surgeon
Cuttin’ for the very first time
Like a surgeon
Organ transplants are my line

Better give me all your gauze nurse
This patient’s fading fast
Complications have set in
Don’t know how long he’ll last

Let me see, that I.V.
Here we go – time to operate
I’ll pull his insides out, pull his insides out
And see what he ate

Like a surgeon, hey
Cuttin’ for the very first time
Like a surgeon
Here’s a waiver for you to sign

Woe, woe, woe
Woe, woe, woe
Woe, woe, woe

It’s a fact – I’m a quack
The disgrace of the A.M.A.
‘Cause my patients die, yah my patients die
Before they can pay

Like a surgeon, hey
Cuttin’ for the very first time
Like a surgeon
Got your kidneys on my mind

Like a surgeon, ooh-hoo like a surgeon
When I reach inside
With my scalpel, and my forceps, and retractors
Oh ho, oh ho

Ooh baby, yeah
I can hear your heartbeat
For the very last time

Hmm I just stumble across this song lately. I find that its really

a interesting way to present all the world events at our short

Actually i was thinking of alot of application of the song and I can think of the followin

1. You can sing this when you are arrowed to do “firefighting” when the thing has nothing to do with you

2. Indonesia can sing this to the other ASEAN countries when the haze starts

3. But you can learn alot of history singing this.. hahaha

Lets enjoy the song

“We Didn’t Start The Fire” by Billy Joel

Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio

Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe

Rosenbergs, H-Bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, “The King and I”, and “The Catcher in the Rye”
Eisenhower, vaccine, England’s got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye

CHORUS
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

Josef Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev
Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc

Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, dacron
Dien Bien Phu and “Rock Around the Clock”
Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn’s got a winning team
Davy Crockett, “Peter Pan”, Elvis Presley, Disneyland

Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Khrushchev
Princess Grace, “Peyton Place”, trouble in the Suez

CHORUS

Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, “Bridge on the River Kwai”
Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California baseball
Starkweather, homicide, children of thalidomide

Buddy Holly, “Ben-Hur”, space monkey, Mafia
hula hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no go
U2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy
Chubby Checker, “Psycho”, Belgians in the Congo

CHORUS

Hemingway, Eichmann, “Stranger in a Strange Land”
Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs Invasion
“Lawrence of Arabia”, British Beatlemania
Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson

Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sex
JFK, blown away, what else do I have to say

CHORUS

Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon, back again
Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock

Begin, Reagan, Palestine, terror on the airline
Ayatollolah’s in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan
“Wheel of Fortune” , Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicide
Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, Crack, Bernie Goetz
Hypodermics on the shore, China’s under martial law
Rock and Roller Cola Wars, I can’t take it anymore

CHORUS

We didn’t start the fire
But when we are gone
Will it still burn on, and on, and on, and on…

Chorus (Repeat to end)

Actually, this is another hymn I learnt in during the Theological course…

Alot of times, when I feel God is silent to me, or at the stillness of the night, I tend
to feel like singing this… I think it is very reflective, and I just wish like sharing this

Open Our Eyes

Open our eyes, Lord,
We want to see Jesus,
To reach out and touch Him,
And say that we love Him.

Open our ears, Lord,
And help us to listen,
Open our eyes, Lord,
We want to see Jesus.

Open our eyes, Lord,
We want to see Jesus,
To reach out and touch Him,
And say that we love Him.

Open our ears, Lord,
And help us to listen,
Open our eyes, Lord,
We want to see Jesus.

Open our eyes, Lord,
We want to see Jesus,
To reach out and touch Him,
And say that we love Him.

Open our ears, Lord,
And help us to listen,
Open our eyes, Lord,
We want to see Jesus.

Open our eyes, Lord,
We want to see Jesus.

Was listerning to a old sermon spoken somewhere during the new year. The preacher was quoting this song…

Somehow i was wondering, as I am desparately chasing after the prize. We plan alot, and sometimes too much…. and i suddenly feel like a “Nowhere man”. Some times, I feel we should all stop and ask the following question , “Why are we busy?”, “Is there a purpose behind all the things we are planning and working for?, “For whom are we busy for?

This reminded me of what Moses prayed in Psalm 90
The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
Who knows the power of Your anger?
For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Ps 90: 10-12)

Let us not be a “nowhere man” and think about the purpose of our lives once again.

Nonetheless, let us enjoy this song
Title: Nowhere Man
Artist: Beatles

He’s a real nowhere Man,
Sitting in his Nowhere Land,
Making all his nowhere plans
for nobody.

Doesn’t have a point of view,
Knows not where he’s going to,
Isn’t he a bit like you and me?
Nowhere Man, please listen,
You don’t know what you’re missin’,
Nowhere Man, the world is at your command.

(lead guitar)

He’s as blind as he can be,
Just sees what he wants to see,
Nowhere Man can you see me at all?

Nowhere Man, don’t worry,
Take your time, don’t hurry,
Leave it all ’till somebody else
lends you a hand.

Doesn’t have a point of view,
Knows not where he’s going to,
Isn’t he a bit like you and me?

Nowhere man please listen,
you don’t know what your missin’
Nowhere Man, the world is at your command

He’s a real Nowhere Man,
Sitting in his Nowhere Land,
Making all his nowhere plans
for nobody.
Making all his nowhere plans
for nobody.
Making all his nowhere plans
for nobody.

Just a song that suddenly comes to my mind. Its a very different protrayal of the Phantom in the Musical “The Phantom Of The Opera”

The Music Of The Night
Song Version By: Michael Crawford

Night time, Sharpens, Heightens each sensation,
Darkness, wakes and stirs imagination,
Silently the senses, abandon their defenses,
Helpless to resist, the notes I write,
For I compose the music of the night

Slowly, Gentley, Night unferrs it’s splendor,
Grasp it, Sense it, Tremulous and tender,

Hearing is believing,
Music is deceiving,
Hard as lightening, soft, as candle light,
Dare you trust the music of the night

Close your eyes,
For your eyes will only tell the truth,
And the truth isn’t what you want to see,
In the dark it is easy to pretend,
But the truth is what it ought to be

Softly, Deftly,
Music shall caress you,
Hear it, feel it,
Secretly posess you

Open up your mind,
Let your fantacies unwind,
In this darkness which you know you can not fight,
The darkness of the music of the night

Close your eyes start a journey through a strange new world,
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before,
Close your eyes and let music set you free,
Only then can you belong to me

Floating, falling, sweet intoxication,
Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation,
Let the dream begin,
Let your darker side give in,
To the power of the music that I write,
The power of the music of the night

You alone can make my song take flight,
Help me make the music of the night

Hmm lately i am just thinking about my relationship with God, and I remember the preacher talking of a Ice Cream faith.

The ice cream is extremely hard when you first take them out from the fridge. But then, over time, after exposing the ice-cream to heat in room, this ice cream turn soft, and became liquid in a matter of minutes.

I used to think that we all could withstand many trials and many hardship in our christian walk, and then suddenly, i feel that our faith is really not as strong as what we think, especially when trials come our way.

So, at the same time, I feel that we should not just love God with our lips, and with many words… and this idea kinda reminded me of this hymn that i have sung during the theological course this year

Title: Let my words be few
By Phillips, Craig & Dean

You are God in heaven
And here am I on earth
So I’ll let my words be few
Jesus, I am so in love with You

And I’ll stand in awe of You, Jesus
Yes, I’ll stand in awe of You
And I’ll let my words be few
Jesus, I am so in love with You

The simplest of all love songs
I want to bring to You
So I’ll let my words be few
Jesus, I am so in love with You

Just for the people who missed it Heres the Youtube of it

I have not really been writing here for sometimes as lately I have been feeling a bit tired looking for a job in the midst of the economic crisis. Although they keep saying that “We are out of the recession”. “Citigroup – Beat wall street expectation AGAIN!” .

It seems to me that everyone is trying hard to find good news headlines, and it made me wonder, yes, it is good to hear many good news in the market. But I wonder really, what does these news have to do with the real situation around you? Or does people used the business headlines for marketing reason? Haha i guess only the companies who are featured there will know. Sometimes it kind of puzzle me why certain companies need to forecast and hit the headlines with news that really had no meaning to the others except for themselves… Maybe we are all desperately trying to find a life buoy to hold on to I guess.

Today I would be sharing on the topic, what does it really mean to be a Christian?

This is an old sharing I did for this years theological course with the students, it seems that although the truth found here is something that every Singaporean student there could recite, sometimes I wonder how many of this is actually done by all of us? Although some may say this is boring but heres it.

Today I would like to take the opportunity to get all of us to read some of the verses that will attempt to answer the following questions.
1. What does it mean to be a Christian?
2. What does God wants us to do?
3. How can we prepare to perform the work God wants us to do?

The Christians are only given this name by the people in the Roman empire around the time of Acts 11:26, in a place called Antioch. In the past I believe, being called a Christian certainly isnt sometimes as glamorous and it is often used as a derogatory term for worshipers of Christ. Many people views Christianity as a sect of Judaism commonly known as “The way” Acts 24:13. These people in the churches
knew the commission and the commands of Jesus

Matt 28:19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

They also knew that God called them out specially to be the Salt and Light of the world. Matt 5:14-15.
The Light of the world because God wanted the Christians to shine in their deeds and actions, to direct people to where God is and to bring salvation to them, leading them away from the darkness of sin.
The Salt of the world because God wanted them to be like salt, to help man reconcile themselves with God and to help prevent the moral decay that is happening to the world.

Knowing that this is a tough job to do, God gave his Holy spirit to the church to counsel and help the church members to accomplish these difficult task. The effects of the Holy spirit can be seen in the early believers like this
1. The holy spirit moved the members to have one soul and one mind, sharing everything that they had and to love one another
2. They studied into the word of God daily, and having fellowship daily, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
3. As the crowds was watching this, the Holy Spirit moved many others to join in, so God added to their numbers daily those that are being saved
4. The holy spirit move the church with compassion, and the church takes care of widows, orphans and the people who are in need. They have regular distributions to the poor and needy.

So, as we are gathered together here, reading this verses about Why are we called Christians, and what does God want us to do.as well as how the church was like in the past…. How are we to prepare for this daunting task ahead?

1. We should put in all our heart and mind into prayers, as it is the holy spirit that moved the early believers to accomplish many of the task.
2. Love one another, as we are staying together in the group, learn to accept each other faults and differences. help our fellow classmates who needs help to handle tough assignments. Serve each other, encourage each other whenever possible.
3. Focus on the bible studies, remember that we are searching the scriptures not because we wanted knowledge. But because we know that through the scriptures God talks to us, and we can use the lessons we learnt here in our daily lives. 2 Tim 3:6
4. Most importantly, we must continue to guard our hearts, even after the course when we return to our respective lives Prov 4:23

Now we would pray to ask God to help us remember our commission as well as to give us the strength to carry out what we had learn here.

Finally i was thinking of ending this with a hymn which i believe everyone knows how to sing. Rethink about what the early church is like, and sing this with
conviction and rededicate ourselves to God once again.

Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart, in my heart.

Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart, in my heart.

Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart, in my heart.

Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart, in my heart.
In my heart, in my heart,
Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart, in my heart.