Today so far... vaccinations

I just had to get immunised by our company doctor. I needed 5 injections. I am now immunised against Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Influenza, Tetanus/diphtheria, Measles, Polio, Hepatitis B (although I need 2 more shots). I saw on beyond tomorrow a new invention that blasts the vaccines under your skin. Yay! No more needles. The doctor told me that, realistically, this will not be available for a few more years. No complaints though. Because it is paid for by the company, it saved me about $300.

Just eating a hot chilli sub for lunch and it’s taking its toll on my mouth. I’m gonna get a drink and do some work now.

Singlish

When I was at Curtin uni studying I was surrounded with this peculiar and interesting language that has, strangely enough altered my already odd sounding accent and way of talking. It is called Singlish. Many of these phrases have woven there way into my every day dialogue and have often caused others to question my ethnicity.

Singlish originated with the arrival of the British and the establishment of English language schools in Singapore. Soon, English filtered out of schools and onto the streets, to be learned by non-English-speakers in a pidgin-like form for communication purposes. After some time, this new form of English, now loaded with substantial influences from Indian English, Baba Malay, and the southern varieties of Chinese, began to be learned "natively" in its own right. Creolization occurred, and Singlish then became a fully-formed, stabilized, and independent English creole. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singlish)

• Dis country weather very hot, one. — In this country, the weather is very warm.
• Dat person there cannot trust. — That person over there, cannot be trusted.
• Play soccer he very good also. — He's very good at playing soccer too.
• Tomorrow no need bring camera. — You don't need to bring a camera tomorrow.
• Not good one lah. — This isn't good.
• Cannot liddat go one lah. — You/it can't go just like that.
• How come never show up? — Why didn't you/he/it show up? (See the use of never in place of didn't under the "Past tense" section.)
• I like badminton, dat's why go play every weekend. — I like badminton, so I go play every weekend.
• He not feeling well, so decide to stay home and sleep. — He's not feeling well, so he decided to stay home and sleep.
• Your computer got virus one, izzit? (Does your computer have viruses?)
• How come so late in the night you still playing music, ar?
• You looking for trouble, izzit?
• Last night I mug so much, so sian already. (mug = cram for exam. sian = bored/tired.)
• They never study, is it? (No wonder they fail!)
• You don't like that, is it? (No wonder you had that face!)
• Alamak, you guys never read newspaper is it? — "What, haven't you guys ever read a newspaper?" (No wonder you aren't up to date!)
• Dun have, lah! (Brusque response to, "Lend me some money, can?")

This weeks wrap up

This week has gone by fast. A lot has been happening around the world, at work, and in my own life.

3 beautiful young girls, Sisters in Christ have gone home to be with our Almighty, caring and loving father, YAHWEH. They were brutally beheaded by Islamic extremists who want to wipe out Christianity from Poso in Indonesia. It is more proof that truly the devil hates Christs beloved. But we can never hate the perpetrators of these crimes. We can only hate the sin. God’s will is that ALL be saved and come into the knowledge of Him. Pray for the nation of Indonesia. Pray for your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. By doing this, then you will become more like Christ.

I had my performance appraisal at work. It was terrific. I was asked what direction I would like to head in our company. I would like to do 25% Business Analyst work and 75% systems development work. My boss was cool with this and is going to help me achieve my goals. I will be the main apps developer in our Perth office but will be a virtual member of the Jakarta office. One of my goals was to improve my Bahasa Indonesia, so my boss is keen to send me to Jakarta frequently to work with the team over there.

I bought a new digital camera. Pentax Optio S6. You will start seeing some random photos up here soon. For breakfast I had an apple and a long macchiato. I am very unsatisfied right now. I might go and get a muffin.

I picked up my fiancées engagement ring and I planned to surprise her. However, it didn’t work out as I would like it too. I had taken photos of the ring on my new digital camera and forgot about it. Later that night I took Gayle out to dinner where I was going to surprise her with the ring (she didn’t know when I would pick it up). But before I could pull it out and slip it on her finger, she saw the image in the digital camera and squeeeeeled. Argh… I am bad at surprises.

I am currently reading “Mao – the untold story”. I will post some quotes from this book over the next few weeks. The Chinese people suffered much under this man. His ideologies were completely self-centred and evil. Under his regime, it is estimated that more than 90 million Chinese died as a direct result of his brutal and stupid policies. His personality cult saw him elevated in the eyes of the Chinese to “God” likeness.

In other news, health experts and international governments are preparing for an Avian Flu pandemic. This could occur when the deadly H5N1 virus swaps genes with the common influenza suffered by humans and will then become quickly spreadable by human-to-human contact. Australian cities have dedicated hospitals that will take in patients. Australia also plans to shut their boarders if this occurs.

New anti-terrorism laws were passed, allowing police to detain suspected terrorists without charge for up to 90 hours. I am in full support of these laws. The government is also trying to pass it’s new Industrial Relations laws. I do not believe that these IR laws will benefit Australian society, but could have the effect of crushing many Australian families who are already struggling under low income and high working hours.

Now in the midst of all this – where does our confidence lay? Is it in us? It shouldn’t be – our flesh is weak. Is it our careers? It shouldn’t be! Recession can come in an instant and leave you unemployed. Is it your family or your friends? It shouldn’t be! They are all human, and all humans are susceptible to failure. Put your confidence in the LORD. He never fails. God is our rock. If you build on God, though the strongest storms of life will come along, you will still stand in the end.

I read this in yesterday’s devotion: “A writer in India describes how he sat on his veranda one day and noticed a vine that had reached its delicate tendrils up and across a void until it had grasped the branch of a pine tree. That night there was a fierce storm. The following morning the vine had become a poor drooping thing with its stems hanging downwards because the branch to which it had been clinging had broken in the storm. The vine had fastened upon a rotting branch instead of a strong healthy trunk.” The writer in my devotion then stated “There are some Christians…, who fasten themselves upon something other than Christ – a denomination, a religious rite, a custom, or even a person. A storm comes and down the go because the fastened on to the culture surrounding Christ rather than Christ Himself. When men and women hold on to the central reality – Christ – they toughen, rather than wilt, under adversity.”

Okay, and the last thing that I want to do in this long entry, is leave you with these scriptures from Psalm 91 (segments)… God bless you all.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honour him.

Movember

I have been roped into participating in Movember.

MO BROS & SISTAS – LETS PUT THE MO BACK ON THE FACE OF AUSTRALIAN FASHION!

Each year 2,600 men die from Prostate Cancer, more than the number of women who die from breast cancer.

The aim in '05 is to have 2,600 Mo Bros – a mo for every bro that dies.

The rules:

1. Once registered Mo Bro's must start 1 Movember clean shaven.
2. For the entire month of Movember each Mo Bro must grow and groom a moustache according to these rules:
1. There is to be no joining of the mo to side burns - that's a beard
2. There is to be no joining of the handlebars - that's a goatie
3. A small complimentary growth under the bottom lip is allowed
4. Failure to conform to any of these rules may, at the absolute discretion of the Movember Committee result in instant blacklisting from further participation in Movember and entryto the Gala Partè.
   

Disclaimer: The Movember committee accepts no responsibility for lost jobs, lost girlfriends, rashes to you or your partner or any other such mishaps caused by a Movember mo.

What sort of man grows a Mo

• He’s a man with a love for life and with a lot of living to do.
• He’s the first to be invited to a party and the last to leave.
• He’s a man with confidence, a leader not a follower, he sets the trends that others follow.
• And when he takes off on a unique experience count on him taking a full bodied thirst quencher along. For his golden moments are often enhanced by a golden thirst.
• He’s a great bloke, a great mate and a great lover.
• He stays true to the Mo.

I will try my hardest to do the mo proud. Now I need to find people to sponsor me. From my department, 5 guys will be participating. This is for a great cause.

Christian Teens Beheaded in Indonesia

Please don't be blind to the persecution happening in Indonesia. This is one of the saddest incidents I have heard. Please pray for the families of these 4 beautiful girls. Also, offer a prayer for peace. Pray that the Christians will not retaliate with violence, but will respond as Christ and the martyrs responded.

"In what one Indonesian human rights activist describes as the latest attack in an ongoing terror campaign against Christians of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, three teenage girls en route to school through a cocoa plantation were beheaded Saturday morning, apparently by Muslims...

Theresia Murangke, 14, and Ida Lambuaga and Alfina Yarni Sambue, both 15, were attacked one mile from Sayo village near the town of Poso, reports Indonesian human rights activist Ibrahim Buaya, who formerly lived in this volatile region of Indonesia. A fourth girl, Noviana Malewa, 14, escaped from her attackers with machete wounds to her face. Buaya reported that she is in Poso General Hospital under heavy guard. The Associated Press reported that Noviana told police the six attackers wore black shirts.

Two of the girls' heads were found near a police station five miles from the village of Poso. The head of the third was left in front of Kasiguncu village's Pentecostal Church of Indonesia (GPdI), eight miles from where the bodies were found in the cocoa plantation." (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/144/23.0.html)

Other sources: The Jakarta Post

Lessons from the life of Joseph

My pastor preached a good message yesterday morning and drew lessons from the life of Joseph. Joseph’s story is quite amazing and was particularly encouraging to me. Joseph came from a very obscure family. Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and was then falsely accused of rape and thrown into prison. Joseph helped people in prison and he was forgotten by all of them when they were released. So now, here is a man who has been forgotten by the whole world. He is rotting in a prison cell. He is forsaken by his brothers and those who he had helped. And through all of this, he had been smeared with an accusation of rape. But above all of this, Joseph rose to become the Prime Minister of Egypt. Looking at it from a human point of view, Joseph was doomed. He had no hope and no chance. How was he able to get to the position that he did? Here are some lessons for all of us:

1. Bloom where you are planted (Be the best that you are wherever you are!).
• What God defines as success and what we define as success are two very different things. We define success as happiness and financial prosperity. But here is Joseph, a slave with no resources, in our eyes Joseph was not successful. But the bible says that as a slave, Joseph was successful at everything that he put his hands to because the Lord was with him (Genesis 39:1-4). As a result he found great favour in the eyes of his master Potiphar and was put in charge of Potiphar’s household and was entrusted with everything that he owned.
• The lesson – If the Lord is with us, we are already a success.
• Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men. (Proverbs 22:29)
2. Don’t become bitter. Become better!
• By all human standards, Joseph had reason to be bitter. After interpreting Pharaohs butlers dream, he asked that he would remember him when he was released. The butler forgot all about him. 2 full years had passed with not so much as even a mention of gratitude from the butler who had been released. Then when Pharaoh had a problem, the butler was reminded of the young Hebrew man in the dungeon (Joseph) who had successfully interpreted his dream. Pharaoh then sent for Joseph.
• Joseph could have come out of prison with this mindset “Oh, now they need me. Well I will let them know just how I feel about being kept in prison.” Joseph however refused to become negative or become a cynic. The bible says that Joseph shaved and changed his clothes (Genesis 41:14) and came before Pharaoh.
• Joseph chose to leave the jail completely behind. Although he was in jail and people had let him down, He did not allow his circumstances to affect who he was.
• We have all met people like this and have often behaved like this ourselves, we want everyone to know what a crappy time we have had. We carry around the stench of our circumstances and affect the mood of every one around us.
• Here is the lesson – Don’t let the smell of prison follow you throughout life.
3. Make friends with your destiny.
• Matthew 5:9
• Destiny is not a solo journey. Were ever you go or end up in life, there will undoubtedly be people. We were created to live in community and peace with others.
• Note: Making peace is not the same as finding peace. Forgiveness takes one person. Conflict resolution takes two. If you have unforgiveness in your heart, the most affected person is yourself.
• The early church had to make peace with the apostle Paul. Before he had his encounter with Christ, Paul (formerly named Saul) killed Christians. Because the early church made peace with Paul, he was able to go on and become perhaps the greatest apostle to ever live.
• Lesson – Be a peacemaker!
4. Be ready
• It’s too late to prepare when opportunity comes.
• You will always be better off serving even if you don’t think it is where you should be serving. It is easier to steer a moving car in the direction it should go, rather than if the car was not moving.
• Joseph was not necessarily gifted as an administrator. This was a skill that he learnt in prison. If Joseph just sat back and did felt sorry for himself and did not work, he would have totally missed the opportunity that came to him.
5. God is bigger than any circumstance
• You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 5:20).
• Look to God at all times. Nothing is too hard for God. Nothing can separate us from Gods love. As believers we are successful through our God, regardless of the circumstances around us.
• Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6).

That is a summary of the message based on the notes that I took. I hope that you find some help and encouragement from it. You can read Josephs full story from about Genesis 30:24 to Genesis 50:27. I encourage you to read it. So many lessons from life can come out of it. Our God is faithful. We are much loved. God bless you.

Unity in Diversity

I have a quote running through my mind but I do not really know what it means. “Unity in diversity”. I actually think that it is the stance that the Indonesian government took in trying to quell religious violence and protests. Due to human nature it seems that diversity brings anything but unity. People are either afraid of what they do not know, or they are simply instructed to murder those who differ from them (the latter is practised by a group of militants belonging to a particular religion, both will remain anonymous). The first is easier to deal with.

You just need to educate through the media and in our schools. The media does not seem to do the best job in encouraging unity however. They scare the crap out of most people and have us paranoid looking for non-Caucasians dressed in big jackets carrying backpacks on our buses. Why doesn’t the media put the focus on racial issues. Do you know that there are racist groups in Australia right now recruiting in our schools! Young kids are joining nazi and skinhead groups because they find acceptance there. Not because they necessarily hate non-Caucasians. Where is the education there?

Christians… grab these kids before the racists grab them. Show these kids that they are accepted and loved. Show them that there is unity in diversity and that Gods love does not discriminate.

Media… stop inciting fear in our children’s lives and show them unity in diversity. Show them the truth about the refugees arriving in Australia. Show us the reasons why they need to leave their countries. Show us the struggles that we have in common. Australia’s mandate is to bless the nations. Media, catch up. Be a source of light to the naïve and arrogant. Report on truth. Not on fear.

Media… Don’t make the Indonesians stance on drug smuggling seem unfair. The Indonesians have seen what drugs are doing to our nation. They have seen the affects that drugs have had on the US. They are taking a brave stance. Don’t condemn them based on their stance toward morality. They are doing what they believe is necessary to protect their children.

As Christians we know that unity is essential in the body of believers (Ephesians 4:1-6). We know that as brothers and sisters we must love each other as Jesus loves the church. But in humanity let there be unity among everyone. People from different religions, different nationalities, different social groups, different classes. Gods love does not discriminate and neither should ours. Every single human being on this earth shares the same core desires. We desire safety, protection, eternal life (deep down), and most of all… we all desire Love. Do not let ourselves get caught up on the cosmetic differences.

When a suicide bomber blows him self up, it is because he is seeking eternal life and safety. He wants safety for his family culture. He feels that westerners and their “christianity” are threatening their very existence. So they react the only way they know how. Remember that our war is against what is unseen. It is against the principalities that we can not see. The devil and his demons that breed hate among God’s most loved here on earth. Our war is against that realm. Our weapons are not bombs or guns or any weapon made by man. Our weapons are mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. (Ephesians 6:11-17). Let us love and accept everyone here on earth. Be gentle as doves but as cunning as serpents. Let us get our hands dirty and stand and fight in the heavenly places. Let us take up our armour and our spiritual weapons (the Word of God) and destroy these principalities of hate and lies. Fight! Fight! Fight!

Gods love is for every single muslim on this earth. Gods love is for every one of every race. Gods love is for the drug smugglers and the executioners. Gods love is for us and for them. God does not desire that ANY should perish, but that ALL should come into the knowledge of Him and His love for them. And I promise that this will one day happen. “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14). But we must fight for it. Jesus Saves. He is the only way that broken and sinful man (which we all are) can be made whole and stand before our awesome God in confidence. Jesus took our punishment. He gave us life.

Let there be unity in diversity. God created us all uniquely. He created every people group. I love the diversity of this country. Let’s never lose that. Australia’s culture is being formed now. We are a young nation. What happens now will undoubtedly have a major affect on how our country is viewed in the future. Let us be an example to the world that unity in diversity works. Love one another

@ work

I havn't had time to post lately because I've been quite busy with work. Here is my past fortnight in brief...

• I got engaged to the lovely girl that I have been dating for 4 years.
• I had a health scare, but with prayer support and the blessing of God, it turned out to be a minor issue. Praise God for His faithfullness and thank you to everyone who upheld me in their prayers. Our God is faithful.
• I am planning an engagement party.
• I am being trained to be Sharepoint Portal administrator and K2.NET developer at work. This is very exciting and will open the door to many excellent career opportunities.
  
• Went to Churchtogethor on Sunday night. It was a great night with over 18000 people from different churches in attendance, remembering that we are One body of Christ.
• Right now I am restoring our company portal from Indonesia to our local portal here in Perth.
• I have cut back on coffee during the week but increased my coffee intake on the weekend.
• I got up on the speakers box in Perth city on Sunday before church togethor to tell everyone about our God...
  
• I am attending MC again. I did not want to uproot my fiancee when I am not fully planted @ RV.
  
• And thats all.... GBU all.
  

If you are deceived...

Islamic terrorists. You claim to serve God. You do not serve my God. My God is the God of all LOVE. My God made the greatest sacrifice of all. He gave His son to die for us. Through my God there is no more death but only life.

You murdered another 30 people in Bali on Saturday. Many who never knew God and will now not have that chance. You took their lives. But count yourself blessed that you are still here to receive salvation from the one true God. He will not take your life in return. He only wants your hearts.

How could you kill innocents you murderers. You may argue that no one is innocent, well look at yourself. Do not be deceived. There are no virgins waiting for you. Repent while you still can. God is love and He is well able and willing to remove all of your sins and accept you as a son. To love God means to love people. To hate those who God loves is a sin. You say Allah is great! He is. Allah akbar! But do not be afraid. You believe in God, believe also in Christ. Only Christ can forgive you. He is the One who redeems. He is more than a prophet. He is not God’s son by means of the flesh. He is God’s son by means of the Spirit. Christ was born through a virgin. There was no defilement. God had only pure love for you. He who was rich became poor for you. He who was a King became a servant to all. That is love. That is the nature of God. Test God on this. Ask God to show you the truth. He is faithful.

John 3:16 “God so loved the world that he gave His only son, so that whoever will believe in Him will not die but have eternal life.”

I do not condemn you and neither does God. The day of condemnation will come. But today is the day of SALVATION. Salvation is for all who will believe.

Love does reign.

Bali

The terrorists struck again. Please lift Bali up in your prayers. Let's stand togethor and hold our neighbour up before God. The Balinese are beautiful people who do not deserve this. I have been hearing stories that are causing me to believe that Gods hand is truly on the nation of Indonesia. God is love and God is life. The God who created us is the same God who paid for our sins through the death of His Son - Jesus Christ. He is definately not a God that encourages people to commit murder.

God bless the Balinese.