The reflecting theologian

I am currently reading through 1 Kings and 2 Kings in my daily bible reading. And it is a frustrating experience. I am not really sure if anyone has ever felt so frustrated reading the bible. And before I carry on, it is not because I dun understand what was being written and what God was trying to say in the word. To gain new insights everyday reading the bible should be a given but I think there will always be part that we will not understand. It is not because the records of the the kings are boring... genealogies are much more boring than that if you want to compare it this way. However, if any discerning hearts read the books of 1 Kings and 2 Kings, the recurring theme of the books is always that the kings in succession had been doing evil in the eyes of the LORD and there were only that few kings who did right, and even so, only Josiah was whole-hearted in obeying Him. It is a frustrating experience reading how history keeps on repeating within the span of a few chapters, as if t...

I am currently reading this book called 'Listening to people of other faiths' by Claire Disbrey. It is an interesting read and the first of its kind. Most comparative religion books I have came across looked at other religions from a philosophical and most often than not, Christian viewpoint. Claire Disbrey, in this book, chose to interview people and allow them to speak for themselves what their faith means to them and how they interact with their respective faiths, without her questioning too much into the validity of their faiths and the intellectual grounding. Interesting and amazing as it can be, it simply disturbed me to read what those people said. It is expected that they said what they said in the book, but I think I am being too intellectually grounded in my own that their philosophical inconsistency in their own arguments about their faith and mine stands out so clearly. In some sense, I really give it to Disbrey to be able to really sit down and listen to these. I...

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Wo...

An Amish boy and his father were visiting a nearby mall. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny silver walls that moved apart and back together again by themselves. The lad asked, "What is this, father?" The father, having never seen an elevator, responded, "I have no idea what it is." While the boy and his father were watching wide-eyed, an old lady in a wheelchair rolled up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched as small circles lit up above the walls. The walls opened up again and a beautiful twenty-four-year-old woman stepped out. The father looked at his son anxiously and said, "Go get your mother."

Haven't posted anything substantial over the past few weeks. Just felt compelled to post something here tonight. I went back to NUS last night to attend the MadHatter event organised by the History Dept. For some background, this is an event organised yearly by the history dept to celebrate the 'coming of age' for the honours year cohort every year. My batch had the privilege of being the first batch to grace this event. As we were catching up with one another, it really warmed my heart. Although most of my classmates are teachers now, and sometimes they really talk about work and teaching, we are the same beneath in our hearts. When we talk about history, we are all on the same page and our passion in history continues. It just makes me miss the time in school, and it makes me wanna pursue my post-grad in history. But that one pending for further thoughts. It was really a fun time for all of us. It prompted one thing to me. We really need to cherish our time with on...

After God created Adam, and Adam had been in the Garden for a really long time, he started to get a little lonely. So, Adam went to God and said, "This Garden is amazing, but I'm starting to get a little lonely; is there anyone that you can send to keep me company?" God answered, "I have the perfect person. She will help you with almost everything. She'll clean, cook, wash you clothes, be your friend, and even rub your feet after a long day. She really is perfect in every way!" Adam said, "That sounds great! How soon can you send her?" God replied again, "I can send her right away, but there is one thing ... it's going to cost you an arm and a leg to get her." Adam thought for a moment, and then said, "What can I get for a rib?"

An old man lived alone in Idaho. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, Bubba, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament. Dear Bubba: I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me. Love, Dad A few days later, he received a letter from his son. Dear Dad: For heaven's sake, Dad, don't dig up that garden. That's where I buried the BODIES.Love, Bubba At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local Police showed up and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day, the old man received another letter from his son. Dear Dad: Go ahead and plant the potatoes now. It's the best I could do under the circumstances.Love,...