Barack Obama - Interesting Perspectives

Last week, with the election of Barack Obama as the 44th US President - The sales of Newspapers went up, such that there were NO MORE PAPERS!!!

Why the extra copies?

People are keeping the newspapers as momentos, as this was a historic moment: The First African American US President.

Many just want to cherish the moment, and they just kept the newspapers!

Newspapers anticipated some extra demand, but they underestimated. The New York Times had printed 35 percent more than the usual number of copies for individual sale on Wednesday, an increase of about 150,000. Later, it printed 75,000 more.

As a Singaporean observer, it has been interesting to realize that America is truly a place where dreams can come true!

Hey! Who would have thought that a black man can actually become the most powerful man in the world!

Watching Obama galvanize a nation to such levels, has also made us active followers of the whole Presidential Campaign. Maybe someday, Singapore will have such a Campaign as well.

Before I go, check out these Videos. This was done on the last week of elections (Inspiring: I also want to vote!)

This reaction from the South Park Series is quite funny:

Technorati Tags: Obama,rection to US president,Barack Obama

Women Stuck on Toilet Bowl for 2 years

Today's sermon at City Harvest Church was about INDECISION!

Can u imagine this?

There was a women in Texas, who was stuck to her toilet bowl! Being glued in the same position for 2 years, her fats grew stuck to the bowl.

Her boyfriend said that he tried to coax her out, but she always put it off - Until they both realized that she was now STUCK!

Inevitably, the Police were called in, to rescue her from her smelly ordeal!

Procrastination is our No. 1 enemy!

That's why successful people are those, that are able to follow through with their everyday decisions.

Athletes become Olympic champions, because they make a decision to train daily!

Winners used to be losers, who made a decision to never give up!

Here are 9 steps that can help us to overcome procrastination:

1. Activate Your Planner
2. Break down Large Tasks
3. Create Datelines
4. Deal with the mess
5. Encourage Yourself!
6. Face your fears
7. Goals review
8. Hang on & don't give up!
9. Initiate things now!

And lastly:

If you thought that I was joking about the lady in the toilet bowl, check out the news report below:

Ps. Kong Hee preaches about Servanthood

This week, Ps. Kong continued preaching about servanthhood

2 points that really impacted me today:

1. Servants look into details

Luke 16:10-12

10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?

Many people don't pay attention to details. They find it 'too micro', and their excuse is that "I am Big Picture person!"

However, I realised that in life, successful leaders are those that look into the details.

Even Top CEOS who look at the 'Big Picture', have secretaries who look into the workings of every policy - highlighting the importance of details!

Many people rubbish details, and declare details as too time consuming. But top leaders consistenly look into DETAILS!

I believe that this is why the Bible coins the term "faithful in what is least, is faithful also in much."

In fact:

Excellence is the attention given to details that leads to superior performance

2nd thing that really impacted me is this: Servanthood is about relationships

- It's about how we serve one another.

Many people don't want to serve their leaders, CG members and friends because they feel that they are better, more senior and more knowlegeable.

But if Jesus the perfect Son of God can serve us (Imperfect people), how much more do we need to serve!

A famous Person said:

You can tell whether you are becoming a servant, by how u act when people treat you like one!

Many times, we get agitated when people step on our toes and irritated when they don't seem to take into account our previous 'works'.

But isn't that precisely what a slave is like?

A slave is a person who has no rights, but just willing to serve his master.

Mark 10:44-45
44And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Hey! We got to be better servants!

Ps. Kong Hee - Servanthood

Ps. Kong Hee preached a great sermon about servanthood last weekend.

Having a servant's heart enabled Daniel to serve in the courts of his colonial masters.

Dan 1:4
4young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans.

Just having the right attitude does not mean that life will be 'smooth sailing'. Joseph faced tough times after receiving a dream from God. But his servant's heart enabled him to find promotion. We must realize that our attitude through tough situations, will bring about the breakthroughs we desire.

I liked the new perspectives that Ps. gave about Rebekah best!

Abraham's servant went with 10 camels in search for a wife for his master's son. He went to a well, and asked Rebekah for a drink of water.

Rebekah did not know about the servant's mission but demonstrated the attitude of servanthood.

She gave the servant a drink and drew water for the 10 camels as well.

This is quite extraordinary when u consider how much a camel drinks!

1 camel drinks 106 liters of water. That means 106 giant 'Evian' Bottles.

The size of the task is even bigger if u take into account another secondary factor. Many people think that the well we are talking about is those where we just throw a bucket in, and pull out the water.

In those days, the wells had steps. So, in order to draw the water, she had to go up and down, a total of at least 30 steps, and do it for at least 53 times (assuming her bucket can hold 20 liters), as she had to feed 10 camels!

Man! She must be 1 tough California Gym Cookie! (But definitely not ugly, as according to the Bible she was very beautiful)

What's more, in Gen 24:61, we see that Rebekah did not come from a poor family as well.

61Then Rebekah and her maids arose, and they rode on the camels and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and departed.

Hey! the girl had maids! And yet she was willing to serve!

Can u imagine this? A youth who comes from a middle income family, willing to serve a perfect stranger, and willing to serve the 10 camels as well. Talk about going the extra mile!

It was though her servant's attitude that not only was Rebekah blessed, her family was blessed as well.

Gen 24:22
22So it was, when the camels had finished drinking, that the man took a golden nose ring weighing half a shekel, and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels of gold,

Gen 24:53
53Then the servant brought out jewelry of silver, jewelry of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.

It is just like the Holy Spirit today. He is waiting at the well of life. Looking for somebody who is willing to serve him.

Someone who has a great attitude, and willing to go the extra mile!

And when we serve him, not only will we blessed, but our families as well.

Wow! what an inspiring sermon! Lets go all the way with God in 2008!

Faith and Expectations

Do u know that Denmark has been rated by a survey as the Happiest Country in the World?

According to video that I watched on the American Program '60 minutes', America ranks 23th, with countries Canada and Costa Rica beating it!

What's the secret behind a country with a population of 5.5 million people?

According to the program, it could be because the people have low expectations! After all, this is the country where we get the story about 'The Little Mermaid', where we are educated about unrequited love.

Personally, I would not advocate that! Being a person of faith, I believe in having a dream and a Vision. Just like what the Bible says, I believe that without a vision, man will perish! In fact, I believe that words and actions have a profound effect on students!

According to a study done by a Harvard Psychologist called Robert Rosenthal done in the 1960s, we see the relevance of expectations.

In his study, he found out that when teachers expect the students to do well, they do. Conversely, the reverse is true as well.

Talking point
The psychologist just took 20 ordinary students and labelled some 'intelligent' (Ok, he may have lied to the the teachers) and told the teachers that they showed 'unusual potential for intellectual growth'.

True enough, all the students labelled as 'intelligent' showed significantly better results compared to their peers who did not receive this special recognition. (Hint-So better not let your friends call u stupid!)

Further findings showed that if teachers expect the children to succeed, they will behave in ways to reinforce their expectations.

For instance, if a student considered to be bright is unable to answer a question posed, the teacher is more likely to support him, help him think about the problem and eventually arrive at the correct answer.

In contrast, if a teacher were to pose a question to a child whom he perceives as having no potential, and the latter is unable to answer it, the teacher is more likely to move on to another student.

Prof Rosenthal said , a teacher must check his own presumptions. And if he does not believe in a student's capacity to learn, he has no business being that student's teacher. Wow! Strong words indeed.

How does this relate to the Happiness Country in the World Study?

Towards the end of the program, they interviewed a few Danish Youths. Even though surprised with the study (About them being the Happiest nation), they gave a few pointers as to why they ended up on top:

1. They were happy to stay in Denmark, as the country offered them a comfortable life. The undergraduate remarked that money was not everything in life! This is in stark contrast to the 'Amercian Dream' where u must be a millionaire to be a success!
2. Find a job that u are passionate about!
3. They believe in having high hopes, but not getting too disappointed when it does not come to pass.

That's a great point! We must continue to dream and dream BIG! But, we also allow know that DREAMS don't come free! They will cost us something, and that there will be many trials along the way.

If we can manage our expectations and realise that we may face some difficulties along the way, we will be able to stay in this race & be in it for the LONG RUN!

2 tim 6:6

Now Godliness godliness with contentment is great gain

Obama uses the Caring System

If u have been keeping up with the Presidential Campaign in the U.S, I am sure that u would have heard about Barack Obama. He is a Democrat, while people like Mike Huckabee are Republicans.

What makes his campaign interesting to me is this: The Obama campaign is the first in decades-maybe in history-to be carried on the backs of the young.

The youth in America has traditionally been disinterested in politics. In fact, politicans have deemed the youth (those under 35) as hard to mobilize and bored with politics.

How does Obama get his votes? He uses the caring system.

Obama purposefully targets the youth. After his rallies in towns across the state, he meets backstage with student leaders from the area. This is a privilege most candidates reserve for locals VIPs and fund raisers.

What is that? That is personal touch at its best! He gets to know the people!

Candidates like Clinton and Obama have also added this personal touch by calling potential voters as well.

Besides this, Obama speaks the language of the youth. He uses technology effectively by using platforms such as 'facebook' and speaks about change!

Studies have shown the effectiveness of these 21st century tools. It has been seen that voters are more likely to go to the polls if they are asked face to face by someone they trust. This proves that personal canvassing is more effective than direct mail or phone calls from strangers.

People vote when they know how much u care!

As we employ our connect group system, let's realise that people vote with their feet & influence is determined by relationships.

Before I go, check out this video. to find out more about the man.

Google- The Best Place to Work

Recently, I attended the Corporate Leadership Seminar by Dr. A.R Bernard and I gained some insights into the corporate world.

One interesting subject he mentioned, was the corporate culture at Google. Besides being a renown search engine, Google has been awarded as "The Best Place to Work", by the "Great Place to work" Institute and by Fortune magazine.

According to the 20 year old research institute, a great place to work is one where employees "trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do, and enjoy the people they work with".

It is the idea that a great workplace is measured by the quality of the three, interconnected relationships that exist there:

• The relationship between employees and management.
• The relationship between employees and their jobs/company.
• The relationship between employees and other employees.

So, what does working at Google offer u?

In summary, these are some of the things that I picked up:

• You can wear anything u want to work
• Get Free food (11 gourmet kitchens in your office)
• A Free fitness center
• Get Free Massages at work
• Pool tables in your office
• A games room where u can play ping pong & video games
• Additional Child leave for staff for up to 7 weeks
• Flexible Working Hours / Part Time options
• Funding to get a car
• Free company doctor at your office
• Free foreign language classes (French, German, Chinese...)
• Free classes on presentation skills,business writing, etc.

And the list goes on....

But most importantly, Google creates an environment where the people are creative, loyal to the company, willing to work long nights, and a place where people basically LOVE THEIR JOB!

Isn't that different from the culture here!

P.S - I believe that working at Google is so fun, as the people there are really passionate about their work!

Actually, its kinda like my Job...I love it...and would never trade it for a job at Google!

Gathering your Thoughts

Just finished leaders meeting today & my wife preached a Great Sermon!

Sermon was about how u need to ask God and venture into no man's land, if u want a breakthrough.

The 1st point of the sermon really impacted me.

It's about gathering your thoughts. If u want a breakthrough, u got to know what u want and ask God for it!

Recently, I just read an article about Will Smith in 'Time' Magazine.

When he was just starting out as a rap star and on the 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air', he had a goal!

He wanted to be the biggest star in the world!

He and his manager began to analyse the 10 top grossing movies of all time.



They realised that:


10 out of 10 had special effects
9 out of 10 had special effects with creatures.
8 out of 10 had special effects with creatures and a love story.

This probably explains why he did movies like 'Bad Boys','Independence Day' and 'Men in Black'.
In order for Will Smith to succeed, he gathered his thoughts and analysed what it will take for him to be successful. He then worked towards his goals.

In the same way, if we want God to answer our prayers, we got to analyse the areas we want to focus on, and work purposefully towards our goals!

Is EQ really important?

Just read this weeks 'Time' magazine and I came across something very interesting.

For 178 years, Oxford and Cambridge compete in a rowing event on London's River Thames. Pitting 2 eight-man rowing teams against each other, this is the most watched rowing race in the world.

This year, Cambridge won when it staged an amazing come from behind win.

Talking point

The victorious team included a brash Canadian who did not make the coaches' cut. But he was included as his clowning good natured style made him popular with the team. The squads top 5 rowers-including an Olympic gold medalist and 2 world champions-felt they rowed better with the Canadian on board.

An expert in teamwork is thus proposing that, it is sometimes necessary to let go of a bit of skill, in exchange for sociability.

He says that "People want to deal with people they like!"

To bring it home to Singapore, maybe paper qualifications are just not enough?

History shows us that teams who succeed, are not just a bunch of individuals.

In fact, anyone who loves sports, will tell you that every team, who does well has a strong supporting cast.

Michael Jordan has Scottie Pippen, Marco Van Basten has Ruud Gullit, Adam has Eve, Barbie has Ken!

There is no point in having all the talent, but having zero social skills!

Is EQ important?

Well, Success may not not necessarily be lonely, if your people follow u to the top!

The greatest person according to Jesus, is one who is interested in other people.

Teacher Curriculum - Top teacher shares his secrets!

Just saw a show by Matthew Perry called "The Triumph" on the Hallmark Channel. I know..I know...many of u are saying, isn't that a really lousy channel!..like there is nothing ever great on that channel!...But tonight, things were different!

In this true story, Matthew Perry (aka Chandler Bing on the sitcom "Friends") plays this really "Out of the box" teacher (Ron Clark), who has a really great passion to teach. He uses music to teach his 6th graders Algebra and Grammar. His passion for his job brings him to really get into the lives of the 12 year olds, and his impact on them is phenomenal. From under-achievers, they began to become over-achievers, and the kids start having a dream to do something with their lives!

I think it's amazing how this teacher makes his curriculum so interesting and thought provoking. The children thorougly enjoy themselves as they learn something new, and I think that teacher is simply inspiring!

Kinda like being a CGL! A Cell Group Leader is given the same opportunities to make a difference in someone else's lives. Wow! isn't that an awesome privilege to make your live count like that!

I have a dream. I have a dream that I want to make the Bible come to life, like what Ron Clark did with Math! And inspire the next Pst. Kong to emerge among us!

Guys, if ordinary American kids can dream big dreams, let's not be afraid to dream bigger dreams!

Check out the videos i posted, to see Ron Clark in action!