Why I Read Book Every Day (and 10 Ways to Increasing your Reading Efficiency) #1Book1Week August 2021

 

Before the pandemic, when I'm busy doing fieldwork, I listen to audiobooks or sermons in the car. I also love to watch educational videos on YouTube at home and listen to podcasts while walking, cycling, or jogging. But with all the technological advancements available today, I still prefer reading books as my primary mode of learning. I guess you can call me 'old fashioned.' Besides my natural thirst for knowledge, I need to read books to be effective in the ministry (as the saying goes, "You can't give what you don't have") and keep me sane in today's world of shallow information. So I read at least 30 minutes to 1 hour every day on various subjects, especially on the Scripture and Christian living.

In his book Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life, Brian Tracy shares this excellent calculated insight: "If you read just one hour per day, that will amount to about one book per week. One book per week will amount to about 50 books per year. So 50 books per year will total about 500 books over the next ten years. At the very least, you will need a bigger house just to hold your books". Oh yeah, the power of consistency and small incremental changes! Sikit-sikit lama-lama jadi bukit!

If you are persuaded to read every day too, I recommend you to follow these 10 Ways to Increasing your Reading Efficiency:

1) SELECT YOUR READING MATERIAL CAREFULLY. Don't waste your time on books of little value. Instead, preview what you are considering reading before you start a book. For Christians, your primary and most important book to read and study is the Scripture.

2)  ELIMINATE POOR HABITS. Find a place where you're free from distractions. Get rid of junk foods and avoid contact with electronic gadgets and television if possible. As you try different positions and ways to cultivate your reading habit, identify what works for you and avoid what doesn't.

3)  MAKE A CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO BROADEN YOUR READING. Don't confine your reading to only one narrow area. I tend to choose Christian literature, but I will vary my reading occasionally to a novel, leadership, motivational, business, science, other religions, etc. My rough ratio is 3-4 Christian books to 1 other title. You don't have to follow my pattern. The point is – broaden your reading.

4) TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE BIG PICTURE. Read for main ideas. Don't get caught up or spend too much time with insignificant problematic details.

5) ASK THE AUTHOR(s) QUESTIONS AS YOU READ. Be an investigator. Ask: Why? What? When? Where? Who? How? And try to find the author's answers in the pages of the book.

6) Also, ASK YOURSELF QUESTIONS AS YOU READ. Test your understanding of the author's points, arguments, and ideas.

7) DON'T READ TOO FAST FOR THE SAKE OF FINISHING THE BOOK. Make sure you really (or try to) understand what you are reading before you go further. Or mark the sentences first and come back to them later. If you still don't understand, then don't finish the book. Time is precious.

8) CONCENTRATE ON WHAT YOU ARE READING. Don't entertain unnecessary distractions; focus on the author's message. Off your smartphone, if you must!

9)  TAP INTO YOUR IMAGINATION. Try to imagine the concepts of ideas described by the author(s). Turn texts into mental images. When the author(s) gives illustrations or parables to amplify their points, 'see' them with your mind's eye. If you can't do it at the beginning, it's okay. This ability requires practice.

10) TAKE NOTES WHILE READING (in my case, I write reviews) or underlines important gems that you get from your reading in the book itself or both. This habit is essential if you want to review them from time to time, and it helps to retain what you read.

#ServeToLead #GrowingLeaders #LeadersAreReaders #CultivateReadingHabit #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain #ReadingEfficiency

To read my #1Book1Week book reviews, click the RED LETTERS:

1.  The Heavenly Man (2008) by Brother Yun, CLICK HERE
   
   
2. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (1950) by Clive Staples Lewis, CLICK HERE
   
   
3. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew (1955) by Clive Staples Lewis, CLICK HERE
   
   
4. Beyond AD 2000: A Call to Evangelical Faithfulness (1999) by Bishop Hwa Yung, CLICK HERE
   
   
5. What Is Reformed Theology? Understanding The Basics (2016 Edition) by R.C. Sproul, CLICK HERE

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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy (1954) by Clive Staples Lewis, Book Review

 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy (1954) by Clive Staples Lewis

 This story is not as familiar as the famous ones made into movies like The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe or Prince Caspian or The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (by the way, in 2018, Netflix already purchased the rights and will reboot the series. I have high expectations about the production quality. Still, I hope that they will not distort the character of Aslan and kept the stories as original as possible) and that's what makes it an exciting read. The Horse and His Boy is the third book in chronological order but the fifth book in the publication order. There are four main characters in this story. First, a boy named Shasta, who lived in Calormen, discovered that the man he stayed with was not his birth father and would be sold into slavery. It makes sense since Shasta felt that he had "little love" for his guardian. While thinking about what to do, Shasta was surprised to know that the would-be master's horse was a Talking Horse from Narnia. So, the second character is the horse named Bree. Together they planned an escape and heading "For Narnia and the North!" Then early on their journey, they meet another pair of runaways, the third character, a girl named Aravis, and a mare, the fourth character, a Talking Horse too, named Hwin.

Bree and Hwin know for sure where they are going, namely, the land of Narnia, their birthplace, before being captured as dumb animals by the Calormenes. Meanwhile, Aravis, a girl from a noble Calormene family, just wanted to run away as far as possible to avoid being forced into marriage. So she followed wherever Hwin went. Shasta (funny name), on the other hand, is very clueless. He still needs to know his identity. Before the journey, he always "look eagerly to the North" but doesn't know why and he felt very out of place as the 'son' of fisherman in the far south of Calormen. So like any other adventure story, the journey of these four characters is about self-discovery, friendship, conflicts, and especially for Shasta, an exploration of his true identity. Interestingly, the story takes place when Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy were kings and queens of Narnia (although Peter the High King was absent from this story because he was fighting against the giants elsewhere). The four characters encountered with the mysterious Aslan always fascinate me. He was 'there' even before they began the journey and every step of the way. When Shasta first met with Aslan (as "The Voice," then as "The Thing," and as himself), he asked, "Who are you?"

"I was the lion… I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to received you" (page 281). And as you read on - I hope you do - you will discover that Aslan was not 'safe' in a sense that he was the one who puts the children and horses amid danger, and yet he is 'good' because he would make sure that they will be victorious (although wounded along the way) to the end. Remember what Mr. Beaver said to little Lucy years ago about Aslan? "He isn't safe. But he's good." To enter Narnia, you have to be tested by fire! As I closed this book last week, I was inspired and shouted, "For Narnia and the North!" Of course, not too loud as to wake up my neighbors… ✅

 #ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #TheChroniclesOfNarnia #CSLewis #RealmOfImagination #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

 To read my previous #1Book1Week book reviews, CLICK HERE  

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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (1950) by Clive Staples Lewis, Book Review

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (1950)
by Clive Staples Lewis

In my opinion, I don't think we should take Clive Staples Lewis' theology seriously. There are flaws in everyone's theology, I'm especially included, but some are more serious than others. I'm not saying we couldn't or shouldn't learn any good theology and wonderful Christian gems from Lewis. He is a brilliant thinker, a superb scholar of medieval literature, and an imaginative writer, but he is not a theologian in the real sense. Lewis, if you search a little deeper, doesn't believe in the inerrancy of the Scripture, his doctrine of salvation is very inclusive (almost, but not, a universalist), and he has a problematic view on the atonement of Christ (or lack of it) among others.

So, when you read The Chronicle of Narnia series, don't read them as if you're reading theological books and try to decipher every line or scene to find Biblical meanings. Narnia series: 1) is, first and foremost, a children's fantasy literature that is cherished by adults too, 2) written by an author who is, by the way, a Christian (one of my favorite rappers is Nathan John Feuerstein, a.k.a. NF. He said, "I'm a Christian, but I don't make Christian music." Thus when I listened to NF, I don't derive my theology from his lyrics. In the same way, don't treat Narnia as such), and 3) is influenced not just by Biblical themes and allegories but also magic, myths, legends, and fairy tales. From a lighter perspective, Narnia is a place where we can spark our imagination and explore possibility narratives (what a great form of escapism!). From a darker perspective, however, it can be a dangerous place to condition the mind to wild speculations and possibly, witchcraft (this also applies to The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and most novels as a fact). Let the reader apply discernment!

Having said that, I enjoyed reading The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, the second book based on chronological order but the first book in publication order. The illustrations in the book are very helpful. Although I already know the basic storyline based on my previous reading and the movie, it is important to know that the original book edition is always superior to the cinematic experience. Always! This book is special because C.S. Lewis dedicated it to his goddaughter, Lucy Barfield (her name is the inspiration for Lucy Pevensie, the youngest heroine in the book). "My Dear Lucy," Lewis begins, "I wrote this story for you, but when I began it, I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result, you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound, you will be older still. But someday, you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again..."

My all-time favorite line is this: "Ooh!" said Susan... "Is he [Aslan] - quite safe? I shall feel nervous about meeting a lion." "That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly." "Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy. "Safe?" said Mr. Beaver, "don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Cause he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King. I tell you" ❤

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #BeChildlike #CSLewis #Narnia #TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew (1955) by Clive Staples Lewis, Book Review

 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew (1955) by Clive Staples Lewis

Based on the chronological order, this is the first book in the series, but this is the sixth book based on the publication order. According to HarperCollins Publishers, C.S. Lewis wanted or preferred The Magician's Nephew to be read first (although C.S. Lewis later said it doesn't matter). There is too much fuss about which one is better, but chronological order is good for me because of the way my logical mind works. I bought the one-volume book at BookXcess, and it was too thick! So I cut and hard bind it into each separate book. I've read the whole series in 2013, but now I want to begin the journey again into the magical world of Narnia!

In my opinion, The Magician's Nephew is one of the series's best and most important books. It told us about who Professor Digory Kirke is in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, how humans can enter the other worlds (ah, the rings must be influenced by J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, but it's not the only way), what is the mysterious place called The Wood between Worlds (I imagined Marvel multiverse here), sort of the origin of Jadis the White Witch (Queen of Charm), how Aslan the Great Lion creates Narnia, why the other children later can enter Narnia through the wardrobe, etc. The storytelling, the adventure, and the themes like good versus evil, are beautifully woven by C.S. Lewis. One of my favorite parts is when Digory begged Aslan to cure his mother, and as he cried, he looked at Aslan, he saw "great shining tears stood in Lion's eyes. They were such big, bright eyes compared with Digory's own that for a moment, he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his Mother than he was himself. 'My son, my son,' said Aslan, 'I know. Only you and I in this land know that yet...'" While sorrow hasn't entered the newly created Narnia yet, how can Aslan know? Ah, the story within The Story.

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #BeChildlike #CSLewis #Narnia #TheMagiciansNephew #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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Repentance: What It Means to Repent and Why We Must Do So by J.C. Ryle, Audiobook Review

 Repentance: What It Means to Repent and Why We Must Do So 

(First Edition, 1878; Updated Edition, 2021) by John Charles Ryle

In the past, although I always said that Charles H. Spurgeon’s books influence my Christian believes (besides the Bible) the most but in terms of number, I read J.C. Ryle’s books the most. Ryle (1816-1900) was the Bishop of Liverpool, England, and had gained a reputation for straightforward preaching, passionate evangelism, and Gospel-centered writings. His books, in my opinion, are easy to understand and very rich in theology and practical applications. I take C.S. Lewis's advice on the reading of old books like this one: “If [one] must read only the new or only the old, I would advise him to read the old.” Lewis recommended reading one old book for every contemporary book or two. I do read old books especially Christian classics from time to time because I know the value and importance of it (but I don’t come close to his recommended ratio). If you haven’t read one old book yet or if it’s been a while, I recommend you to read this book ���

The book opens and closes with this verse: “Except you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:5). For sure this is a warning verse. It might sound harsh and forceful or “stern and severe” but as J.C. Ryle explains: “From whose lips did these words come, though? They came from the lips of One who loves us with a love that passes knowledge. They came from Jesus Christ, the Son of God. They were spoken by One who loved us so much that He left heaven for our sake. He came down to earth for our sake. He lived a poor, humble life on earth for thirty-three years for our sake. He went to the cross for us, went to the grave for us, and died for our sins. The words that come from lips like these must surely be words of love.” Indeed, this verse is ultimately a plea from One who loves us so much and desires to deliver us from the fire of hell (“perish”). So important is repentance that when Lord Jesus began His early ministry, He preached, “Repent, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). Peter’s sermon at Pentecost began with, “Repent, and be baptized…” and ended with, “Repent you, and be converted” (Acts 2:38; 3:19). When Paul defended himself, he told his audiences that he had taught all people that they should “repent, and do works fit for repentance” (Acts 26:20). "Repent!" is the call to all of us.

J.C. Ryle knows how urgent this call is. As a preacher-teacher, he wants to makes the call clear and unadulterated. So, he skillfully outlines this book into three (3) sections:

1)The Nature of Repentance: What Is It?
2)The Necessity of Repentance: Why Is Repentance Needful?
3)The Encouragements to Repentance: What Is There to Lead People to Repent?

These three sections and the conclusion are packed with biblical truths. The five marks of repentance that J.C. Ryle highlights are very crucial for us to differentiate between true or false repentance, namely: “True repentance begins with 1)KNOWLEDGE of sin. It goes on to work 2) SORROW for sin. It leads to 3) CONFESSION of sin before God. It shows itself before a person by a thorough 4) BREAKING OFF from sin. It results in producing a 5) DEEP HATRED for all sin.” If you have experienced all the marks, then, as Ryle would say, you are a truly repentant person! ��� #ServeToLead #PreachTheWord #GrowingLeaders #SpiritualLeaders #LeadersAreReaders #BiblicalRepentance #BishopJCRyle #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read PDF ebook Repentance by J.C. Ryle, CLICK HERE ��� https://anekopress.com/product/repentance-ebook/ 

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From Ruth to Rich: What Are You Praying For? Do Something!

As I read late Billy Graham’s Just As I Am (1997) autobiography, I’m encouraged by his wife, Ruth Bell, for her life, support, and works in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association ministry. About Ruth, Billy writes, “God gave Ruth many, many gifts, one of which was writing.” I agree. In this series, I try to imagine (one of God’s greatest gifts to humankind) what would Ruth Bell says to encourage young man like me – and perhaps, you. I hope you enjoy it!

My dearest son, Richard,

            There are times, I have found when praying is not enough. God says as it were, “What are praying for? Do something!” Moses, hotly pursued by Pharaoh, cried out to God, who replied, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children n of Israel to go forward” (Exodus 14:15). And, after Israel’s ignominious defeat at Ai, the desperate Joshua prostrated himself in prayer before the Lord, only to hear Him say, “Get up! Why do you lie on your face this way? Israel has sinned…” (Joshua 7:10-11).

If your heart is listening as you pray, you will from time to time hear, “What are you praying for? Do something!” And you will know what it is you must do. There will be a wrong to put right, a sin to confess, a letter to write, a friend to visit or a parent to talk to. C.S. Lewis suggested that as we pray, Christ stands beside us changing us. “You may realize that,” he wrote, “instead of saying your prayers, you ought to be downstairs writing a letter, or helping your wife wash-up. Well, go and do it.” And again, “I am often, I believe, praying for others when I should be doing things for them. It’s so much easier to pray for a bore than to go and see him.”

And so it is with us, with you, my son. You must quick to pray and just as quick to obey!

With love,

Ruth Bell Graham

(1920 – 2007)

THINK BIG.  START SMALL. GO DEEP.

                  

            

The Origin of True Worship

When God forgives us for Christ’s sake he accepts us as we are. So we don’t have to pretend anymore. We can now face ourselves and what we have done without being driven to despair. For God “declares the guilt to be innocent” (Romans 4:5) – declares us righteous in His sight on the basis of the once-for-all death of Christ for us. When we grasp this wonderful truth, the healing of all our hurts begins (a process, not overnight). I can accept myself because God has accepted me.

C.S. Lewis described the Christian life as “going in for the full treatment.” Jesus promised that, after He returned to heaven, God would send the Holy Spirit to live within every person who is reconciled to God. Turning from our sins and asking for Christ’s forgiveness gives us the privilege of receiving His Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is a bit like an interpreter. He reveals Jesus to us, illuminating His teaching and applying the significance of His death on the cross to our lives. He helps us to know God intimately and gives us direction in life. But He is more than an interpreter. For He brings Jesus into our lives as the One who saves us – the Savior – and become our Lord and Friend. For if the Holy Spirit lives in us, so does Jesus.

We cannot fully understand the cross. It has depths to it that we cannot plumb – depths of love and mercy that we shall never exhaust. But this we can know: Jesus died for sinners, and these sinners – you and me – needs to respond to such amazing love. This is the origin of our true worship, a respond to God’s amazing grace.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

C.S. Lewis on the Church

C.S. Lewis on the Spirit of God

The Holy Spirit is like a dove, not a dove.

Like I wrote earlier, think and read imaginatively when you read this long-unauthorized quote from C.S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity:

“The union between the Father and the Son is such a live concrete thing that this union itself is also a Person. I know this is almost inconceivable, but look at it thus. You know that among human beings, when they get together in a family, or a club, or a trade union, people talk about the ‘spirit’ of that family, or club, or trade union. They talk about its ‘spirit’ because the individual members, when they are together, do really develop particular ways of talking and behaving which they would not have if they were apart. It is as if a sort of communal personality came into existence. Of course, it is not a real person: it is only rather like a person.

But that is just one of the differences between God and us. What grows out of the joint life of the Father and Son is a real Person, is in fact the Third of the three Persons who are God. This third Person is called, in technical language, the Holy Ghost or the ‘spirit’ of God. Do not be worried or surprised if you find it (or Him) rather vaguer or more shadowy in your mind than the other two. I think there is a reason why that must be so.

In the Christian life you are not usually looking at Him. He is always acting through you. If you think of the Father as something ‘out there’, in front of you, and of the Son as someone standing at your side, helping you to pray, trying to turn you into another son, then you have to think of the third Person as something inside you, or behind you.

Perhaps some people might find it easier to begin with the third Person and work backwards. God is love, and that love works through men – especially through the whole community of Christians. But this spirit of love is, from all eternity, a love going on between the Father and the Son.”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

C.S. Lewis on the Father and the Son

C.S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity, he writes:

“We must think of the Son always, so to speak, streaming forth from the Father, like light from a lamp, or heat from a fire, or thoughts from a mind. He is the self-expression of the Father – what the Father has to say. And there never was a time when He was not saying it. But have you noticed what is happening? All these pictures of light or heat are making it sound as if the Father and Son were two things instead of two Persons.

So that after all, the New Testament picture of a Father and a Son turns out to be much more accurate than anything we try to substitute for it. That is what always happens when you go away from the words of the Bible. It is quite right to go away from them for a moment in order to make some special point clear. But you must always go back.

Naturally God knows how to describe Himself much better than we know how to describe Him. He knows that Father and Son is more like the relation between the First and Second Persons than anything else we can think of. Much the most important thing to know is that it is a relation of love. The Father delights in His Son; the Son looks up to His Father.”

It is fit to end this lengthy quote with God own words:

“[The Word] became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory,

glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, ESV)

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

C.S. Lewis on Christianity God: A Critical Distinction

As you read this, read slowly, mindfully and imaginatively:

“All sorts of people are fond of repeating the Christian statement that ‘God is love.’ But they seem not to notice that the words ‘God is love’ have no real meaning unless God contains at least two Persons. Love is something that one person has for another person. If God was a single person, then before the world was made, He was not love.

Of course, what these people mean when they say that God is love is often something quite different: they really mean ‘Love is God.’ They really mean that our feelings of love, however and whatever they arise, and whatever results they produce, are to be treated with great respect. Perhaps they are: but that is something quite different from what Christians mean by the statement ‘God is love.’ They believe that the living, dynamic activity of love has been going on in God forever and has created everything else.

And that, by the way, is perhaps the most important difference between Christianity and all other religions: that in Christianity God is not static thing – not even a person – but a dynamic, pulsating activity, a life, almost a kind of drama. Almost, if you will not think me irreverent, a kind of dance”

(Excerpted quote from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. Sell your text books and buy this book!)

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

C.S. Lewis on New Life

The butterfly is the symbol of resurrection and new life in Christ

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

The old has passed away; behold, the new has come”

(2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV. Read chapter 5 and 6 for the text context)

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) or famously known simply as C.S. Lewis is one of my favourite writer. He was one of the intellectual giants of the 20^th century and arguably the most influential writer of his day (probably even now). Here on the subject of new life he wrote in Mere Christianity:

“In the long run God is no one but Himself and what He does is like nothing else. You could hardly expect it to be.

What, then, is the difference which He has made to the whole human mass? It is just this; that the business of becoming a son of God, of being turned from a created thing into a begotten thing, of passing over from the temporary biological life into timeless ‘spiritual’ life, has been done for us.

Humanity is already ‘saved’ in principle. We individuals have to appropriate that salvation. But the really tough work – the bit we could not have done for ourselves – has been done for us. We have not got to try to climb up into spiritual life by our own efforts; it has already come down into the human race.

If we will only lay ourselves open to the one Man (that is Jesus Christ) in whom it was fully present, and who, in spite of being God, is also a real man. He will do it in us and for us. Remember what I said about ‘good infection’. One of our own race has this new life; if we get close to Him we shall catch it from Him.

Of course, you can express this in all sorts of different ways. You can say that Christ died for our sins. You may say that the Father has forgiven us because Christ has done for us what we ought to have done. You may say that we are washed in the blood of the Lamb. You may say that Christ has defeated death. They are all true.”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

C.S. Lewis on The Theology of Being Good

“[Anyone] is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17,ESV)

From C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity:

“Even the best Christian that ever lived is not acting on his own steam – he is only nourishing or protecting a life he could never have acquired by his own efforts. And that has practical consequences. As long as the natural life is in your body, it will do a lot towards repairing that body. Cut it, and up to a point it will heal, as a dead body would not. A live body is not one that never gets hurt, but one that can to some extent repair itself.

In the same way a Christian is not a man who never goes wrong, but a man who is enabled to repent and pick himself up and begin over again after each stumble – because the Christ-life is inside him, repairing him all the time, enabling him to repent (in some degree) the kind of voluntary death which Christ Himself carried out.

That is why the Christian is in a different position from other people who are trying to be good. They hope, by being good, to please God if there is one; or – if they think there is not – at least they hope to deserve approval from good men.

But the Christian think any good he does comes from the Christ-life inside him. He does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us; just as the roof of a greenhouse does not attract the sun because it is bright, but becomes bright because the sun shines on it.”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Every Moment is a 'Now' for God

C.S. Lewis or Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the 20^th century and a man of faith and influential writer of his day. If you think you have heard his name somewhere, if you’re not so familiar with him, can you recalled watching The Chronicles of Narnia movies? Yes, he is the writer of the original novels. He is famous with his logic and imaginative writing and storytelling. Superb!

At first it was hard for me to understand what he was thinking as I read his books, but over the years as I familiarize with his style and thought-flow, I start to value his insights (though I reluctantly disagree and don’t get it sometime). For example, he was able to make sense the difficulties between God’s Time-line and ours’ in regard to the ‘now’ and ‘tomorrow’ actions. He wrote in his book Mere Christianity:

“Everyone who believes in God at all believes that He knows what you and I are going to do tomorrow. But if He knows I am going to do so-and-so, how can I be free to do otherwise? Well, here once again, the difficulty comes from thinking that God is progressing along the Time-line like us: the only difference being that He can see ahead and we cannot.

Well, if that were true, if God foresaw our acts, it would be very hard to understand how we could be free not to do them. But suppose God is outside and above the Time-line. In that case, what we call ‘tomorrow’ is visible to Him in just the same way as what we call ‘today’. All the days are ‘Now’ for Him. He does not remember you doing things yesterday; He simply sees you doing them, because, though you have lost yesterday, He has not. He does not ‘foresee’ you doing things tomorrow; He simply sees you doing them: because, though tomorrow is not yet there for you, it is for Him.

You never supposed that your actions at this moment were any less free because God knows what you are doing. Well, He knows your tomorrow’s action in just the same way – because He is already in tomorrow and can simply watch you. In a sense, He does not know your action till you have done it: but the moment at which you have done it is already ‘Now’ for Him.”

If you end with a ‘wow!’ or you try to read it all over again and say ‘I understand it better now’, then C.S. Lewis’s books is for you. Go and get any of his books at your nearest bookstore. I suggest you try Mere Christianity. Happy reading – and be converted in your mind and heart. I pray that his books may lead you to THE BOOK J

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

C.S. Lewis on Marriage and Love (Good for Singles too)

“[In marriage], Therefore a man shall leave his father

and his mother and hold fast to his wife,

and they shall become one flesh.”

(Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5; Ephesians 5:31, ESV)

Although C.S. Lewis wasn’t married at the time he wrote Mere Christianity (I recommend this book greatly!), he described marital oneness and love with amazing insight:

“The Christian idea of marriage is based on Christ’s words that a man and wife are to be regarded as single organism – for that is what the words ‘one flesh’ would be in modern English. And the Christians believe that when He said this He was not expressing a sentiment but stating a fact – just as one says that a lock and its key are one mechanism, or that a violin and a bow are one musical instrument. The inventor of the human machine was telling us that its two halves, the male and the female, were made to be combined together in pairs, not simply on the sexual level, but totally combined…

What we call ‘being in love’ is a glorious state, and, in several ways, good for us… It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling. Now no feeling can be relied on to last in its full intensity, or even to last at all. Knowledge can last; principle can last; habits can last, but feelings come and go. And in fact, whatever people say, the state called ‘being in love’ usually does not last. If the old fairly-tale ending ‘They lived happily ever after’ is take to mean ‘They felt for the next fifty years exactly as they felt the day before they were married,’ then it says what probably never was nor ever could be true, and would be highly undesirable if it were.

Who could bear to live in that excitement for even five years? What would become of your work, your appetite, your sleep, your friendships? But, of course, ceasing to be ‘in love’ need not mean ceasing to love. Love in this second sense – love as distinct from ‘being in love’ is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit, reinforced by (in Christian marriages) the grace which both parties ask, and receive, from God.

They can have this love for each other even at those moments when they do not like each other, as you love yourself even when you do not like yourself. They can retain this love even when each would easily, if they allowed themselves, be ‘in love’ with someone else. ‘Being in love’ fist moved them to promise fidelity: this quieter love enables them to keep the promise. It is on this love that the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it.”

(Quote from C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1958). Page 81, 84-85).

What an insight!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Be a Playful Christian

Picasso said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is to remain an artist once we grow up.” That can be applied as our attitude in Christian life.

I love to asked people questions. One of my favorite questions these days is: ‘Do you still have a “child” within you?’ When I asked children obviously their answer is a resounding yes. When I asked my teenage cousins, about half of them said yes and the other not sure. But when I asked my grown up friends, they either think that my question is nonsense or they would just smile and walk away (or change topic). Only one or two would dare to say yes, even that was said hesitantly. Where is our childhoodness?

Jesus loves children (just read Matthew 18 and Mark 10). Whenever I read the gospels, I realized that Jesus always took children in His arms and placed His hands on their heads and blessed them. Children have a way of approaching life with delights. Children simply see the world as fresh, with wonders, carefree, full of adventure and have simple faith. Jesus loved this quality in children, and He urged His followers – the adults – to follow their example. Be grown up in our thinking but be like children in our faith and attitude. Be like Children in these things.

One particular attitude of children that I like to see in Christians today is: to be playful. A boring Christian – in my judgment – is sinning against our neighbors. A boring Christian doesn’t glorified God. We must know how to have fun and delight in everything we do. We must learn how to be playful. One day when my boss felt that she needs a break from her busyness, she would call some of the staffs in office, locked the door and play Monopoly games! She is most spiritual person I ever know, and yet, she is playful! What an example for me to follow.

Let’s learn to play again. The important thing is to do it for its own sake. If you play football or basketball or badminton, do it just to enjoy the game, not try to be professional like David Beckham or Michael Jordan or Dato Lee Chong Wei. Play card game; play hide and seek with children; buy a yo-yo; running with dog; dress up like superhero (mine is Superman!); play plasticine clay and make some figures; play snooker, go bowling with family and friends, etc.

Persecutions are sure for Christians but let’s not make life harder.

Let’s play sometime and enjoy life as it is. Be like Children again.

C.S. Lewis writes, “It is the duty of every Christian to be as happy as possible.”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.