BLIND

Posted on by Victor

Siew Lee’s brother Alan introduced to us DIALOGUE IN THE DARK recently held in KLCC.

DIALOGUE IN THE DARK is basically a WORKSHOP, similar to the FAMINE CAMPAIGN… which allows the Public to experience what a BLIND person experience on a daily basis.  You enter a DARK ROOM, COMPLETE DARKNESS! and pretend you were blind for that entire Hour.

The guide would introduce herself to us and guide us through the Dark Room (Giving instructions such as “TOUCH THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE WALL!”, “CAN YOU FEEL THE BENCH NEXT TO YOU?”, “PLEASE FOLLOW MY VOICE” etc etc… So there are a couple of THEME that we go through; such as TRAFFIC! and how we- as blind people- need to walk across the road; learning how to utilize those beeping noise coming out from the traffic light; Or how to use an ATM Machine without being able to see the numbers or options on the screen; and even buying the daily necessities in a Busy MARKET where we get to touch, feel and smell different veges and fruits and spices.

At the end of our tour in the dark, we get to have coffee. We pay real money, to drink real coffee, and have a  real conversation with our Guide.

Siew Lee’s Mother repeatedly asked our Guide at the beginning of the Tour.. “Wah How do you manage to see/guide us in the dark?! Very impressive!”

This is when the guide finally responded; revealing to us that she is actually a Blind person. Hence, not having any trouble moving about in the dark. It was a shock to us, and this led to a Q&A question.

The Q&A question essentially is to expose us to the reality of blind person’s life and how from this experience, we will be able treat them with respect and equality; but aside from the awareness aspect.. this was supposed to help us to appreciate our sight as well as other little things we could have taken granted for.

Being Malaysian, the questions asked  were probably more ‘General’ and ‘safe’.

Ie: When did you get blind? How do you travel? What do you do these days? How did you get involved in Dialogue in the dark?

To communicate a message.. specifically the message of APPRECIATING WHAT YOU HAVE, I felt the blind person could have spoke more about her struggles and hitting rock bottom when she first found out that she could not see. 

I would have asked questions such as “what was your first reaction when you realize that you would not see again”; “how did you communicate to your boss and your colleagues that you were not able to come work”, “how do you find purpose and joy in this life”..

after that session, when we walked out from the Dark room and saw our guide, Siew Lee’s Mother shut off my entire sadistic train of thoughts by saying to our Guide ” Praise the Lord for you are such a Joyful person!”, “Do you know Jesus? (which she replied yes)”, “Your are a beautiful person”.

For me, a broken person’s testimony is powerful. But a word spoken to another person’s life through the lens of God and unconditional love, as simple as it is.. can be even more powerful.  

How you do one …

Posted on by Victor

How you do one thing, is how you do everything else

this is what my boss said about my attitude when I was not giving my all at work as well as not hitting my sales figure last quarter. 

he was right.

i am a quitter. 

I quit chasing my sales number when I knew it is impossible to hit it;
I quit working over-time when I knew it was taken for granted;
I quit trusting my boss when he didn’t fulfil his promises;
and I’m quitting my job, because I no longer feel valued in the company.

 

 

 

 

 

french toast

Posted on by Victor

Vic Kie: I LOVE French Toast! I’ll Marry a Guy who would make me French Toast for breakfast.

 

Me: Wah! Not very high arr, your requirements.

 

Vic Kie: Its not about whether the guy CAN make french toast, its about whether the guy WILL make french toast for me or not. I know its not the hardest thing to make in the world, but it is usually the easiest thing that is overlooked in a relationship. Just like being an Encouraging wife, encouraging one’s husband is not difficult, but most don’t do it.

 

Me: Woah, how true. 

 

NOTED WITH THANKS. 

BANKRUPT

Posted on by Victor

REVELATION 3 (NIV)

15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

How do you purchase gold from God when you are spiritually broke?

Same in the natural, we need to file for bankruptcy; in times of desperation and we know we have been defeated in life, financially.

Spiritually, we must repent of our lukewarmness; Admit that we are spiritually bankrupt; Ask God to provide for what we’ve lacked; Start doing things His way and start living godly lives..

I know that’s the only way, I can afford gold and gain wealth/value in His economy; and that’s what I’ll be doing.

Being Rich, Towards God.

Posted on by Victor

Luke 12:13-35 (NKJV)

The Parable of the Rich Fool

13 Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 15 And He said to them,“Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Do Not Worry

22 Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clotheyou, O you of little faith?

29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

FROM DESIRING GOD, by John Piper.

Being rich toward God therefore is the heart being drawn toward God as our riches. “Rich toward God” means moving toward God as our riches. “Rich toward God” means counting God greater riches than anything on the earth. “Rich toward God” means using earthly riches to show how much you value God. This is what the prosperous farmer failed to do. And the result was that he was a fool and lost his soul. That is what I meant when I said, Jesus considered money hazardous. It lures us out of love for God. It lures us away from treasuring God.

The issue isn’t that the man’s fields prospered. The issue is that God ceased to be his supreme treasure. If God had been his treasure what would he have done differently? Instead of saying, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry,” he would have said something like,

God, this is all yours. You have made my fields prosper. Show me how to express with my riches that you are my treasure, and the riches are not. I already have enough. I don’t need a bigger and bigger safety net. I don’t need better food, better drink, better parties. I do indeed want to make merry, but not in self-indulgent parties with rich retirees. I want to make merry with the people who have been helped by my generosity. I want the fullest blessing of giving. Because you taught me, Lord, it is “more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).