why not?

Stolen from the grace_vine:

 

"I came across this online – a theory a mathematician had about God:

 

"He [Pascal] asked: "God is, or he is not. Which way should we incline?"

 

Reason, Pascal thought, could never establish definitively whether God exists. For Pascal, believing in God could have two outcomes, depending on whether God exists. If God doesn't exist, nothing will happen to the believer. If God does exist, the believer will be blessed with eternal salvation. The nonbeliever also faces two possible outcomes. If God doesn't exist, he will suffer no consequences. If God does exist, the nonbeliever will face eternal damnation. The nonbeliever faces either no consequences or hell; the believer looks at no consequences or heaven. Faced with heaven or hell, Pascal reasoned, it makes sense to open oneself to faith.

 

Simply put, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by believing.

 

Fer sure, that isn't why I believe. I first believed cos I felt God's touch…and I continue to believe cos I have experienced God's goodness. But by Pascal's theory, why would anyone NOT believe?"

 

Well said. ;)

path to reconciliation

Spotted in today's ST Online:

 

"Search for alien life does not negate belief in God: Vatican

 

VATICAN CITY - ALIENS could be out there, and believing that the universe may contain extraterrestrial life does not contradict a faith in God, the Vatican's chief astronomer said in an interview published on Tuesday.

 

The vastness of the universe - with its hundred billion galaxies and trillions of stars - means there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones, the Rev Jose Gabriel Funes, a Jesuit who directs the Vatican Observatory, was quoted as saying.

 

'How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?'

 

Rev Funes said in the interview in Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, which was headlined: 'The extraterrestrial is my brother.'

 

'Just as there is a multitude of creatures on Earth, there could be other beings, even intelligent ones, created by God. This does not contradict our faith, because we cannot put limits on God's creative freedom,' he was quoted as saying.

 

'Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother,' and 'sister,' why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'? It would still be part of creation.'

 

The full-page interview - printed in a question-and-answer format - ranged from discussions about the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and science, to the theological implications of the existence of alien life.

 

Rev Funes mused that aliens would not have been visited by Jesus, because his 'incarnation was a unique and unrepeatable event.'

 

However, 'I am sure that they too, in some way, would have the possibility to benefit from God's mercy,' he said.

 

Rev Funes said that science, especially astronomy, does not contradict religion, touching on a theme often dealt with by Pope Benedict XVI, who has made exploring the relationship between faith and reason a key aspect of his papacy.

 

The Bible 'is not a science book' and looking for scientific facts on the universe and its origin doesn't cast doubt on God's role in its creation, Rev Funes was quoted as saying.

 

As an example, he said he believes the Big Bang theory is the most 'reasonable' explanation of the creation of the universe. The theory says the universe began billions of years ago in the explosion of a single, super-dense point that contained all matter.

 

And yet, 'I continue to believe that God is the creator of the universe and that we are not the result of chance,' the interview quoted Rev Funes as saying.

 

He urged the Church and the scientific community to leave behind divisions caused by the Galileo affair nearly 400 years ago, often cited as an instance of Church hostility toward science.

 

'This incident has caused wounds,' he said. 'The Church has somehow recognised its mistakes. Maybe it could have done it better, but now it's time to heal those wounds and this can be done through calm dialogue and collaboration.'

 

In 1633, Galileo Galilei was tried as a heretic and forced to recant his theory that the Earth revolves around the sun. Church teaching at the time placed Earth at the center of the universe.

Pope John Paul declared in 1992 that the ruling against Galileo was an error resulting from 'tragic mutual incomprehension.'

 

The Vatican Observatory has been at the forefront of efforts to bridge the gap between religion and science. Its scientist-clerics have generated top-notch research and its meteorite collection is considered one of the world's best.

 

The observatory, founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, is based in Castel Gandolfo, a lakeside town in the hills outside Rome where the pope has his summer residence. It also conducts research at an observatory at the University of Arizona, in Tucson. – AP"

 

 

Cool. :)

Children of God

Confirmation 1 Camp - 30 March 2007 to 1 April 2007

Headed off for an overnight camp at the CAYC with all the Sec 1 kids. We had to gather early in the morning at OLPS, and after registration, 3 coaches brought us to the campsite.

It was a time of good fun and sharing, though the kids were quite a handful at times. I had 2 of the most hyperactive boys of my class in my group, which incidentally decided on the name Servant Messengers of God (or SMOG), but thank God that I managed to handle them alright, and by the end of the camp, I felt there had been a closer bond forged with the teens in my group.

So briefly, we had 6 main activities:

1. Milestones
2. Lifeline
3. Games
4. Night prayer
5. Child of God
6. Bible quiz

The general consensus was that the night prayer was the best session of the camp. Glad that the teens enjoy injecting praise and worship into their prayer life.

All in all it went very well, and I think this batch has great potential in becoming true disciples of Christ. Praise God. :)





For more photos, click here.

I can see clearly now...

...because I have gone for LASIK surgery!

Date of deed: 27 March 2007.
Time: 1500 hours.
Venue: The Lasik Surgery Clinic ("LSC"), Paragon Medical Centre.

Been living with specs since Primary 2, and now I've finally gone and done something to get rid of them for good.

The procedure I underwent was Wavefront Lasik, which involves a customised "wavefront map" of the eye being made so that the laser pulses can sort out even the higher aberrations in the cornea. That's the price of having relatively high astigmatism.

Here's how Lasik works:



And here's a sample picture of the eye with the corneal flap cut and peeled back to make way for the laser. No, this is NOT my eye, though I'm sure I did look something like that during surgery.



Anyway, I'm most impressed with LSC for the short time taken from start to end. Went for my Lasik Suitability Screening on 16 March 2007, had a Pre-Lasik Evaluation on 22 March 2007, and surgery promptly on 27 March 2007. The clinic premises were comfortable and generally pleasant, and the prices are very reasonable, made even more so by the special price for NUSS members.

I must admit the actual procedure was rather unnerving, as the whole thing took place so fast, that in a blink of an eye (no pun intended), the anaesthetic drops have been administered, the eye lashes have been pasted down, the eyelid has been retracted, the suction ring applied, the cornea flap cut and dried, the laser administered, and the flap returned to place. Less than 5 minutes per eye. Contrary to popular information, I did not smell any burning while the laser was being administered.

The whole procedure was generally painless, except for some discomfort when the suction ring was applied. And the eyes felt fine after surgery, until the anaesthetic drops wore off, and I started tearing from the irritation and very mild stinging. But I wouldn't describe it as outright pain. Went home, took a sleeping pill, had a nap, and woke up feeling no pain or discomfort at all.

Vision improved over the next few days, and though I can see pretty clearly, I must say I'm not entirely pleased with my right eye's vision for now though. Am hoping it will improve further as assured by the doctor.

So thank God everything went well. Just look at the eye (again not mine):



You can't tell me that it wasn't created by God. It's simply a miracle on its own. :)

the end of an era...

Ok, the title's a bit of an exaggeration, but nonetheless, I am in fact about to move on to a new phase in my career.

The wait I had described a couple of posts back was for the outcome of an interview with my future employers. Notwithstanding that I had told them at the interview that I would be leaving for ICT the following week, they were unable to get back to me before then, and it was only during my day off-in-lieu on 2 Feb that I got the long-awaited phone call offering the job. :)

So I'll be joining the Equity Capital Markets team in the Frantic Slogging Department of a very large local firm. For the finer details, click here.

The benefits of the move are clear to me, as the experience gained will place me in a much much better position for future career moves and options in the event that I choose not to stay (or am compelled by fatigue to move). The downside is of course that I am voluntarily giving up the most excellent hours which I am enjoying at my current firm.

Weighing the pros and cons, I suppose it's a necessary sacrifice (and investment) to slog a bit harder now while I am still young, and reap the benefits in time to come. Every person is granted with certain gifts from God, and for me, I suppose the parable of the talents come into play here. I should not be sitting comfy where I am, and allowing the gift from God to stagnate. As my ex-pastor used to say all the time, if you're comfortable, you're not growing.

Of course the most difficult aspect of the move would be having less time with Ad, but I truly hope we can both look at this shift with the right perspective, and support each other through these (still) formative years of my career. There will come a point of time some years down the road when I will have to choose between family and career, and because I will be choosing family, hence it is all the more important to establish the career aspect firmly for now.

Dealt with another difficult issue yesterday - the tendering of my resignation. It was very hard to break the news to my boss, and even harder to look him in the eye when discussing the matter thereafter. I'm sincerely grateful to my current firm for helping me transit to corporate law, and I apologise for the disappointment caused by my departure. May God prosper the firm always.

So this shift is accompanied by mixed feelings, but with trust in the Lord, I need not fear, for He shall direct my paths. (Back to the key Bible verses of my life - Proverbs 3:5-6)

Last day of work at my current place on 11 April 2007, whereupon I'll be scooting off to Bangkok from 12 to 14 April. Starting work tentatively on 23 April. FYI. :)

The Thought of Christmas

Here's something I found while surfing randomly:

One wintry day a man was walking down the street and noticed some grain on the ground. A flock of sparrows was having an unscheduled feast. As the man took a step toward the birds, they became uneasy. Another step, and their nervousness increased. When he was almost upon them, they suddenly flew away.

For a few moments the man stood there reflecting on what had happened. Why had those sparrows scattered in flight? He had meant no harm. But then he realised that he was too big.

Another question came to mind: How could he walk among those birds without frightening them by his size? It would only be possible if he were able to become a sparrow and fly down among them.

The spiritual analogy is clear. In Old Testament times, God appeared to people in various ways - to Abraham through heavenly messengers, to Moss out of the burning bush. They were afraid because of God's awesomeness. But centuries later, the angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds and announced, "There is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).

Yes, God became a man so that we would not be afraid to draw near to Him.

Jesus' birth brought the infinite God within reach of finite man.

How much or little do we care on Christmas to draw near to Him to worship Him, give him praise, rejoice (and spread the Good News to others)? Or are we drawn to (if not buried in) fine gifts, foods and entertainment?

Blessed Christmas to all...