Letters to Little Richard #5 What's Your God Given Purpose?

Dear little Richard,

            You want to be a godly man, don’t you? Well, part of becoming God’s man is figuring out what God wants you to do – and doing it. I mean, find God’s purpose for your life. I know… it isn’t always easy to discover God’s plans. Why? Because God’s purposes aren’t always clear as you might like; sometimes God speaks in a quiet voice when you’re alone, sometime through books that you read, sometimes through friends and people in general, and most of the time through His living Word, the Bible. “I will instruct you and show you the way to go,” God’s promises, “with My eye on you, I will give counsel” (Psalm 32:8).

            In doing so I don’t want you to be in such a hurry [also] to understand God’s unfolding plan for your life. Remember that God operates according to a perfect timetable. That timetable is His, not ours. Be passionate about it and at the same time – be patient. I believe, my little brother that God has big things in store for you, but such a good God that He is, He may have quite a few lessons to teach you before you are fully prepared to do His will and fulfil His purpose in your life. I like what Beth Moore writes, “Only God’s chosen task for you will ultimately satisfy. Do not wait until it is too late to realize the privilege of serving Him in His chosen position for you.”   

             May you genuinely try to figure out God’s purpose for your life. If so, you can be sure that with God’s help, you will eventually discover it. And when you discover His plans for you, you’re in for an exciting ride!                       

I found mine,

And many more to discover,

Richard

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Simple Book Review: Alan M. Turing, A Biography

Alan M. Turing (first published 1959) by Sara Turing

English mathematician, logician, cryptographer (code-breaker), and founder of computer science, Alan Mathison Turing, has not doubted a genius! I came to know about this man when I browsed through Walter Isaacson’s latest book The Innovators (2014), a story of the people who created the computer and the Internet that included Alan Turing as one of the leading thinkers that created our current digital revolution. Then I have introduced again to Alan’s life in a movie The Imitation Games (2014) loosely based on the biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges [Benedict Cumberbatch a.k.a. Marvel’s Dr. Strange!]. So, when I found this book in the library, I straightaway borrow it!

This is a 2012 Centenary Edition. Sara Turing, the author, is Alan Turing’s mother. Alan is her younger son, and John Turing is her eldest son. “Sara Turing,” comments Martin Davis in the forward, “failed to understand [Alan] on so many levels, wrote this remarkable biographical essay. She carefully pieced together his school reports, copies of his publications, and comments on his achievements by experts.” To me this book is a bit bias, I can feel it as I read it – mother’s touch is always kinder – and I agreed that “she was trying to fit [Alan] into a framework that reveals more about her and her social situation than it does about him.” Alan’s brother, John, wrote in the afterward can only be described as a rebuttal of his mother's account. Sara is so optimistic about Alan; John thinks otherwise. Sara tried to make Alan look excellent and friendly, but John said that he was a bit weird and absent-minded.

Nevertheless, Sara Turing’s aim for this book is precise; it’s not about exhausting detail accounts but “to trace from early days the development of a mathematician and scientist of great originality.”

Highlights about Alan M. Turing: As a child, he was very energetic, intelligent, very good with words, adventurous, love sports, curious, and had his lab to do experiments. He studied at Cambridge and then Princeton. During World War II, he worked in the Foreign Office (where he and other code-breakers cracked German ‘Enigma’ code). After the War, he worked at the National Physical Laboratory Teddington, and also with the Manchester Automatic Digital Machine. In 1937, Alan published the paper On Computable Numbers, which, as much as any single event can be seen as the start of the modern computer age (where his proposed ‘The Turing Machine’). He published another paper Computing Machinery and Intelligence in 1950, which introduced his famous the ‘Turing Test.’ The test continues to play a big part in debates about Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Sadly, Turing died at 41. Sara thought of his death as ‘an accident.’ She writes, “Many friends, either because of his temperament and recent good spirits… have been led to believe that his death was caused by some unaccountable misadventure. Besides, his inadvertence alone had always involved the risk of an accident.” But Martin Davis and John Turing suspected otherwise. Martin writes, “There is a reason to believe that Alan did take his life” by staged suicide, biting a “deadly cyanide apple.” Very likely, this version is more accurate. In memory of her son’s death and significant accomplishments, she endowed the Alan Turing Prize of Science to be awarded annually at Sherborne School.

[P.s: Alan Turing is thought to have committed suicide shortly after his conviction for a homosexual offense, still criminalized at the time. His mother may or may not know of this, and she doesn’t record it clearly in her biography. “I believe it was here, perhaps in the first four or five years at the Wards, perhaps even in the first two,” John Turing recalled, “that Alan became destined for a homosexual.”]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Letters to Little Richard #4 Work Hard as Something Done for the Lord

Dear little Richard,

            In a world where easy-money is promoted online and you can be muscular just by drinking drink in one week without exercise, don’t forget the old way of getting things done: work hard. I mean work hard in your vocation, doing it promptly and doing it well. As the Scriptures say, “Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23).

            Rich, God has created a world in which generally hard work is rewarded and sloppy work is not. Yet sometimes, you may be tempted to seek ease over excellence, or you may be tempted to take shortcuts when God intends that you walk the straight and narrow path. There are times when shortcuts and pragmatic ways are good and harmless – but not always. Work hard is always right and in fact a blessing by itself. “The world does not consider labour a blessing, therefore it flees and hates it,” writes Martin Luther, “but the pious who fear the Lord labour with a great and cheerful heart, for they know God’s command, and they acknowledge His calling.” Be an industrious worker in God’s field in this world “as something done for the Lord.”

            Work hard. Wherever you find yourself – whether at work, home, school, university, or anyplace in between – give it your best. When you do, you will most certainly win the recognition and respect of your peers (either they like you or not). But most importantly, God will bless your efforts and use you in ways that only He can understand. So, my dear brother, do your work with focus and dedication. Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatever your hands find to do, do with [all] your strength”….and leave the rest up to God.

Read the Bible, God doesn’t use lazy people you know,

With brotherly love,

Richard

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Letters to Little Richard #3 Choose Your Friends Wisely (Those Who Behave Responsibly)

Dear little Richard,

            Proverbs 13:20 says, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Remember this Bible verse that I asked you to remember 10 years ago? It’s very much relevant today as it was yesterday. If you want to be wise and responsible person, you should hang out most of the time with people who behave wisely and responsibly. You should realize by now that some friendships will help make you a better person, while other friendships won’t.

            Some friendships help you honour God; these friendships should be nurtured. It doesn’t matter if your friends are Christians or not – oh, my Muslim friends back in university were very supportive and even now we have genuine friendships with one another – whatever friendships that make you a better person, you should keep it! Oswald Chambers agreed, “A friend is one who makes me do my best.” Vice versa, other ‘friendships’ place you in situations where you’re tempted to dishonour God by disobeying His clear commandments; friendships that dishonour God have the potential to do you great harm. Because everybody (including you) tends to become like their friends, you must choose your friends carefully. “Do you want to be wise?” asked Charles Swindoll, “Choose wise friends.”

            Do you want to live a life that is pleasing to God? I assume you want it passionately. My brother, you must! Go build friendships that are pleasing to Him. Especially with your Christian friends, remember this wise advice: “True friends don’t spend time gazing into each other’s eyes. They show great tenderness toward each other, but they face in the same direction, toward common projects, interest, goals, and above all, toward a common Lord [Jesus Christ]” (C.S. Lewis). Choose friends wisely. If you do, our Heavenly Father will bless you and your friends with gifts that are simply too numerous to count! Amen.

[P.s: Don’t hang out only with your Christian friends, go and be involve in Christian fellowship, and read the Word daily. Don’t forget to pray too]

                                                                                    Mother send her regards to you,

Your brother,

Richard

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Letters Little Richard #2 Learn to Put God First

Dear little Richard,

            You have many interests. Your mind is full of wonders. You’re naturally curious and want to learn many things. That’s good! It simply mean that your life is not as dull and boring as many kids in your generations. But as you pursue knowledge, don’t forget about this: Learn to put God first in everything you do (even in your studies of theology and works of ministry).

            In Exodus 20:3, God makes it clear that we must have no other gods before Him. Why? Because “the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God” (Deuteronomy 10:17). As you may have already realized, the world tempts us to do otherwise. The world – especially the system of the world – seems to cry, “Worship me with your time, your money, your energy, your thoughts, and your life!” May we be wise and won’t fall prey to that temptation.

            Rich, you will always have some type of relationship with God. It’s inevitable that your life must be lived in relationship to Him. The question is not if you will have relationship with Christ; the burning question is whether that relationship will be one that seeks to honour Him… or not. My brother, are you willing to place God first in your life? And, are you willing to welcome Jesus Christ, God’s Son into your heart? (That mean, He is the King rule over your life). Unless you can honestly answer these questions with a resounding YES, then your relationship with God isn’t what it could be or should be. Hey, God is always available, He’s always ready to forgive your sins and He’s even waiting for you now to come back to Him. To put Christ first in everything you do. The rest, of course, is up to you. Be still, and know that [He] is God (Psalm 46:10).

Your brother,

Richard

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Simple Book Review: iBrain (Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind)

iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind (2008)
by Gary Small and Gigi Vorgan

Reading this book remind me of other books that I’ve read such as Don Tapscott’s Growing Up Digital, Jesse Rice’s The Church of Facebook, Kim Stolz’s Unfriending My Ex and Daniel Sieberg’s The Digital Diet. Basically, all of these books are about how digital age and technology effect the way we think and behave. What make this book different is that Gary Small, a neuroscientist and experts on brain function and behaviour, gives hundreds of researches, studies and experiments on the human brains to draw conclusions in his book. This book is full of facts but not as dry as textbook. It’s interesting! I read this book because I want to understand my students (Digital Natives) and myself (between Digital Natives and Immigrants) in this always-online generations.

iBrain explores “how technology’s unstoppable march forward has altered the way young minds develop, function, and interpret information.” It reveals “a new evolution catalysed by technological advancement and its future implications.” And iBrain also offer helps/tips to avoid the potential drawbacks such as ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), ADHD (H for Hyperactivity), increased social isolation, Internet addiction, hyper-multitasking, and so on. They offer tools and strategies needed to bridge the brain gap, enabling us to compete and shrive in the age of high-tech immersion.

This book divide into nine chapters: #1 Your Brain Is Evolving Right Now; #2 Brain Gap: Technology Dividing Generations; #3 Addicted to Technology; #4 Technology and Behaviour: ADHD, Indigo Children and Beyond; #5 High-Tech Culture: Social, Political and Economic Impact; #6 Brain Evolution: Where Do You Stand Now?; #7 Reconnecting Face to Face; #8 The Technology Toolkit; and #9 Bridging the Brain Gap; Technology and The Future Brain.

I learned great deal about technology addictions, the fall of multitasking activities, the power and danger of high-tech culture, the important of face-to-face communications and social skills, the usefulness of physical and brain exercise, and how to balance technology and off-line life. “All of us, Digital Natives and Immigrants, will master new technologies and take advantage of their efficiencies,” writes Gary Small, “but we also need to maintain our people skills and humanity. Whether in relation to a focused Google search or an empathic listening exercise, our synaptic responses can be measured, shaped, and optimized to our advantage, and we can survive the technological adaptation of the modern mind.”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Letters to Little Richard #1 Remember that It's Your Life and Be Responsible

Dear little Richard,

            If you make a big-time mistake – and if you get caught – what’s the first thing you’re tempted to do? I know you, you’re going to find somebody or something to blame. Don’t do it bro. Forget about playing the blame game. Here is what I learned over the years: The more excuses you make – and the less responsibility you take – the less likely you are to learn anything from your experiences.

Rich, the sooner you begin taking responsibility for your actions, the sooner you’ll start growing into a mature, sensible, clear-thinking adult. As E. Stanley Jones once says, “Transformation will begin in any life – in yours – when you stand up and say: ‘I’m responsible for the kind of person I am. I am what I’ve wanted to be. Now I’ve changed my mind. I’m sorry for what I am and for what I have done. I’m going to be different. God help me.’” If you don’t do this, the opposite is also true: The longer you postpone accepting responsibility for your actions, the longer it will take you to really grow up.

Richard, my brother, it’s your life, which means that the person you see in the mirror is the very same person who’s responsible for the things you do, the things you say, and the mistakes you make. No exceptions! Therefore, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received” (Ephesians 4:1) in Christ. I know that God is sovereign in all things and at the same time we’re human with responsibility. “God will take care of everything,” writes Lisa Whelchel, “the rest is up to you.” Remember my advice to you here. Meanwhile read the Word daily ya. I’ll write more soon…

Your big brother,

Richard

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.