And to cap it off, a picture of Kahmun Wong at YA Cell
Monday, December 14, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
The Emperor Tamarin does not exist!
I am an animal biologist. I study animals, and i take fond interest of my studies.
A while ago, a friend asked me if i knew what an Emperor Tamarin was. I said no i don't, and he told me to look for species, because he thought that finding it would greatly enhance my utility in working with animals.
The possibility of the existence of the Emperor Tamarin stayed at the back of my mind, and over the weeks it nibbled its way into my thoughts. So one day i said to myself, i must set out on a journey to look for this Emperor Tamarin.
I set out on a cruise, and began my search in the surrounding islands of the Caribbean Sea. Then sailed north along the American coast to the surrounding islands of the Labrador Sea. One month passed, i did not find traces of the Emperor Tamarin. I returned to my homeland.
After extensive search, my heart is at rest, because i am now 100% certain that the Emperor Tamarin does not exist. According to my knowledge on biology, if this species does not appear on such islands searched, they shouldn't exist anywhere on this earth.
Thanks!
A while ago, a friend asked me if i knew what an Emperor Tamarin was. I said no i don't, and he told me to look for species, because he thought that finding it would greatly enhance my utility in working with animals.
The possibility of the existence of the Emperor Tamarin stayed at the back of my mind, and over the weeks it nibbled its way into my thoughts. So one day i said to myself, i must set out on a journey to look for this Emperor Tamarin.
I set out on a cruise, and began my search in the surrounding islands of the Caribbean Sea. Then sailed north along the American coast to the surrounding islands of the Labrador Sea. One month passed, i did not find traces of the Emperor Tamarin. I returned to my homeland.
After extensive search, my heart is at rest, because i am now 100% certain that the Emperor Tamarin does not exist. According to my knowledge on biology, if this species does not appear on such islands searched, they shouldn't exist anywhere on this earth.
Thanks!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Aunty Mary?
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Are WE Responsible For Revival?
Question: Is it God's will for revival to hit your Church?
Answer: Yes. There shouldn't be any debate about this.
Question: Who is responsible for revival in your Church?
Answer: It's either (1) God or (2) the Church, right?
(1) If the answer is God, then the Church should sit and listen to sermons forever, and hope that God will hit us with revival.
(2) If the answer is the Church, what are WE doing for revival to come?
By the way, the answer (2), the Church. In short, God is always waiting for us to earnestly and sincerely pray, move his hand, cry out and feel desperate with every part of our being. When we do so, God will not withhold the revivalistic supernatural power that comes to transform our community.
Church. What. Will we do?
Answer: Yes. There shouldn't be any debate about this.
Question: Who is responsible for revival in your Church?
Answer: It's either (1) God or (2) the Church, right?
(1) If the answer is God, then the Church should sit and listen to sermons forever, and hope that God will hit us with revival.
(2) If the answer is the Church, what are WE doing for revival to come?
By the way, the answer (2), the Church. In short, God is always waiting for us to earnestly and sincerely pray, move his hand, cry out and feel desperate with every part of our being. When we do so, God will not withhold the revivalistic supernatural power that comes to transform our community.
Church. What. Will we do?
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Worship with Music & Songs
I was inspired to delve into the subject of "What is Worship?" by searching biblegateway.com for a few keywords. The findings were surprising insightful!
Please answer this question before you read on:
In the Bible, how many times do these sets of word appear in the same verse?
[ "worship" and "song" ] [ "worship" and "music" ]
...
... answer the question in your head ...
...
OKAY!
The answers, from the New King James version are:
[ "worship" and "song" ] - ZERO times.
[ "worship" and "music" ] - FOUR times.
Interestingly, all FOUR instances of this occurrence is from the book of Daniel, and all from chapter 3. And they all talk about music together with worshiping the image of gold that King Nebu had set up!
Daniel 3:5
"As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up."
And if i was David Searle, i would say: "Well isn't that interesting?!?"
Important conclusions drawn:
1) Worshiping God has nothing to do with music and songs. Just like loving your girlfriend has nothing to do with music and songs, but that doesn't stop you from singing your girlfriend a love song. Does it?
2) Yes, you can use music and songs to inspire worship.
3) Your girlfriend probably doesn't want to just hear love songs from you all day! She'd probably want to:
=> hold your hands
=> tell you how she feels
=> listen to your thoughts
=> give you hugs
=> let you play with her hair (and play with your hair)
=> and show you the world (or let you show her the world).
And after all that, when she is in your arms, she won't mind a song or two.
Please answer this question before you read on:
In the Bible, how many times do these sets of word appear in the same verse?
[ "worship" and "song" ] [ "worship" and "music" ]
...
... answer the question in your head ...
...
OKAY!
The answers, from the New King James version are:
[ "worship" and "song" ] - ZERO times.
[ "worship" and "music" ] - FOUR times.
Interestingly, all FOUR instances of this occurrence is from the book of Daniel, and all from chapter 3. And they all talk about music together with worshiping the image of gold that King Nebu had set up!
Daniel 3:5
"As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up."
And if i was David Searle, i would say: "Well isn't that interesting?!?"
Important conclusions drawn:
1) Worshiping God has nothing to do with music and songs. Just like loving your girlfriend has nothing to do with music and songs, but that doesn't stop you from singing your girlfriend a love song. Does it?
2) Yes, you can use music and songs to inspire worship.
3) Your girlfriend probably doesn't want to just hear love songs from you all day! She'd probably want to:
=> hold your hands
=> tell you how she feels
=> listen to your thoughts
=> give you hugs
=> let you play with her hair (and play with your hair)
=> and show you the world (or let you show her the world).
And after all that, when she is in your arms, she won't mind a song or two.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
The Leader God Uses...
1. Has a great purpose in life
2. Has by God's grace, removed any hindrance from his life
3. Has placed himself absolutely at God's disposal
4. Has learned how to prevail in prayer
5. Is a student of God's Word
6. Has a vital, life-changing message for a lost world
7. Has a faith that expects results
8. Chooses to serve in attitude and action
9. Stirs up the gifts in themselves and others
10. Is secure enough to empower others
11. Lives under the anointing of the Holy Spirit
12. Has chosen to be an example before he leads others
2. Has by God's grace, removed any hindrance from his life
3. Has placed himself absolutely at God's disposal
4. Has learned how to prevail in prayer
5. Is a student of God's Word
6. Has a vital, life-changing message for a lost world
7. Has a faith that expects results
8. Chooses to serve in attitude and action
9. Stirs up the gifts in themselves and others
10. Is secure enough to empower others
11. Lives under the anointing of the Holy Spirit
12. Has chosen to be an example before he leads others
Monday, August 24, 2009
Praise & Worship
If a certain praise song has a fast beat, but does not contain elements of praise, is it still a praise song?
If a certain worship song has the word 'praise' peppered all the way through e.g. Terry MacAlmon - I Sing Praises, is it then considered a praise song or a worship song?
Is classifying our praise or worship expressions to our God, only determined by the tempo of the song?
If a certain worship song has the word 'praise' peppered all the way through e.g. Terry MacAlmon - I Sing Praises, is it then considered a praise song or a worship song?
Is classifying our praise or worship expressions to our God, only determined by the tempo of the song?
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Your Future Husband/Wife
Have you ever thought, that a few of the most important questions you must ask yourself before entering into a relationship with a boy or girl, for a Christian, is:
"After i marry him/her, would this person draw me closer to God or further away? Would this person assist me powerfully (or with power) to serve God, or would this person hinder me from serving God?"
Or,
"Does this person's heart burn with desire for the Lord my God?"
Or even
"Am i even a good person to marry?"
"Have i put myself in a position where i wouldn't even marry myself if i was in the shoes of the opposite gender?"
Or,
"Would i screw up somebody else's marriage, by marrying them?"
These are pretty important questions, that young people should ask themselves from the point when you begin to take interest in the opposite SEX.
"After i marry him/her, would this person draw me closer to God or further away? Would this person assist me powerfully (or with power) to serve God, or would this person hinder me from serving God?"
Or,
"Does this person's heart burn with desire for the Lord my God?"
Or even
"Am i even a good person to marry?"
"Have i put myself in a position where i wouldn't even marry myself if i was in the shoes of the opposite gender?"
Or,
"Would i screw up somebody else's marriage, by marrying them?"
These are pretty important questions, that young people should ask themselves from the point when you begin to take interest in the opposite SEX.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Have a Massive Encounter With God
"I encounter you tonight, my God, to have an encounter with you, tonight."
Sometimes, we want to encounter God. But we only say it, or pray it: "I need an encounter with You God!"
If you want to encounter God, it's pretty easy.
Just go to the place where God is. And stay there.
And where is the place that God is at? It's the place where you come alone before Him, have nothing else on your mind but God, and begin to talk to Him and worship Him.
Mate, it's as easy as that.
And this is what our Church is going to be doing for the next x years.
Sometimes, we want to encounter God. But we only say it, or pray it: "I need an encounter with You God!"
If you want to encounter God, it's pretty easy.
Just go to the place where God is. And stay there.
And where is the place that God is at? It's the place where you come alone before Him, have nothing else on your mind but God, and begin to talk to Him and worship Him.
Mate, it's as easy as that.
And this is what our Church is going to be doing for the next x years.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Daily Habits
I know what i want.
I know what to do.
But i do not do it.
Because i am not wise enough to prioritize my time to do the things of more importance.
Does that sound/feel familiar?
www.reviewseven.com
I know what to do.
But i do not do it.
Because i am not wise enough to prioritize my time to do the things of more importance.
Does that sound/feel familiar?
www.reviewseven.com
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Giant Servant
Two days ago, i was impressed upon by a thought.
To effectively serve our Lord Jesus, we need revelation of the Lord Jesus.
We all have a certain understanding of our Lord Jesus.
But the more revelation is revealed to us, the more we know why we must serve Him, and how we must serve Him, and what we must give, to serve Him.
I believe with a lot of my heart that when we ask for a revelation from God, He will give it to us, as long as we really want it. Ask for one, get one. Ask for many, get many.
Revelation is not something that can be obtained from a book, a sermon, or somebody telling you. It is something similar to the opening of your eyes, to something you never would possibly have seen.
When was the last time we (as individiuals) set aside even 1 hour of our time to kneel down before God to ask Him to reveal something to us? May i challenge you to ask, with all your heart, in desperation.
Because the purpose of your life has already been set, and that is: to serve the Lord Jesus with everything you('ve) got.
And you need to start now. Get a revelation.
To effectively serve our Lord Jesus, we need revelation of the Lord Jesus.
We all have a certain understanding of our Lord Jesus.
But the more revelation is revealed to us, the more we know why we must serve Him, and how we must serve Him, and what we must give, to serve Him.
I believe with a lot of my heart that when we ask for a revelation from God, He will give it to us, as long as we really want it. Ask for one, get one. Ask for many, get many.
Revelation is not something that can be obtained from a book, a sermon, or somebody telling you. It is something similar to the opening of your eyes, to something you never would possibly have seen.
When was the last time we (as individiuals) set aside even 1 hour of our time to kneel down before God to ask Him to reveal something to us? May i challenge you to ask, with all your heart, in desperation.
Because the purpose of your life has already been set, and that is: to serve the Lord Jesus with everything you('ve) got.
And you need to start now. Get a revelation.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Worship - What I Saw in a Vision
This is what i saw 2 months ago in a vision of the mind concerning worshipping God in spirit and in truth.
"...
..."
To be written...
"...
..."
To be written...
Sunday, April 12, 2009
A Single Revelation of Life
1. What are we living this life for?
2. What is driving your life today?
Think about it now will you, and answer.
I know that you know the spiritual answers to the questions. But only you know the answer for yourself.
If the answer is not the spiritual one, then why not? Is it time to change?
A scenario can help to explain one of the revelations i have received about living a life for Jesus Christ.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1> Our entire young people group are sent to a certain village in India for 3 months. Mission: to build a strong and permanent Church.
2> We go with nothing. Except for basic survival necessities, and sufficient money.
3> We live in houses in a small area in the moderately large village. There are near-by surrounding villages.
And i can see this as a basically fair and practical schedule for a Church establishing mission, because time is short, and we want to be effective in doing God's work.
In India, our lives are prioritized for God. Much of our schedule is filled by Spirit-related things.
Here comes the questions now:
"When we fly back to Melbourne, is our time still short, and do we still want to be effective for God?"
"Will we still prioritize God into our schedule like we did in India?"
"Will we still use the same schedule to build the Church in our home town? If not, then why not? (Because we have no time? Because we already have lots to do? Yeah? Like what?)"
< This post is now open for discussion>
---------> Please discuss if you read this. I'm fuming.
2. What is driving your life today?
Think about it now will you, and answer.
I know that you know the spiritual answers to the questions. But only you know the answer for yourself.
If the answer is not the spiritual one, then why not? Is it time to change?
A scenario can help to explain one of the revelations i have received about living a life for Jesus Christ.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1> Our entire young people group are sent to a certain village in India for 3 months. Mission: to build a strong and permanent Church.
2> We go with nothing. Except for basic survival necessities, and sufficient money.
3> We live in houses in a small area in the moderately large village. There are near-by surrounding villages.
- i> We have only three months to complete our mission. So everyday counts.
- ii> We decide that since our primary mission is to tell locals about God, we want to work on that every day.
- iii> Since our time is short, we decide to go about our mission in the most effective way possible - "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the Lord Almighty.
- Breakfast at 8:00am
- Worship, seek and pray at 8:30am - 12:00pm every morning.
- Have lunch at 12:30pm
- At 1:30pm Go into the village to witness that Jesus is alive. Let the power of God be present as we witness.
- Dinner at 6:00pm
- Night meeting at 7:00pm - 9:00pm with the purpose of growing spiritually. Discuss how to live a totally surrendered life, how to hear God, how to use the power that God has given us for His glory etc. How to be more effective, + any other sharings.
- Sleep/Rest/Personal time after 9:00pm.
And i can see this as a basically fair and practical schedule for a Church establishing mission, because time is short, and we want to be effective in doing God's work.
In India, our lives are prioritized for God. Much of our schedule is filled by Spirit-related things.
Here comes the questions now:
"When we fly back to Melbourne, is our time still short, and do we still want to be effective for God?"
"Will we still prioritize God into our schedule like we did in India?"
"Will we still use the same schedule to build the Church in our home town? If not, then why not? (Because we have no time? Because we already have lots to do? Yeah? Like what?)"
<
---------> Please discuss if you read this. I'm fuming.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Church Comfort
Isn't it sad - that newcomers can find Church a comfortable place - for the reason that they find people inside the Church to be very similar to themselves?
Yes.
To elaborate:
The people inside the Church try to make newcomers feel comfortable by doing all the stuff a non-Christian would do e.g. play sports, video games, bars, clubs, relax, hang out - and we would say: "Look we are not too different from you. So what is so bad about becoming a Christian?"
Have we really nothing to show non-Christians the real difference between us and them? Except for powerless concepts and non-Christian-debatable ideas? Sure, we can conform to the world as a way to attract many non-Christians to Church. But what change would that make in them? Or us?
Yes.
To elaborate:
The people inside the Church try to make newcomers feel comfortable by doing all the stuff a non-Christian would do e.g. play sports, video games, bars, clubs, relax, hang out - and we would say: "Look we are not too different from you. So what is so bad about becoming a Christian?"
Have we really nothing to show non-Christians the real difference between us and them? Except for powerless concepts and non-Christian-debatable ideas? Sure, we can conform to the world as a way to attract many non-Christians to Church. But what change would that make in them? Or us?
Friday, March 13, 2009
"Lord, What Do You Require Of Me?"
The Youth Pastor of Bethel Church, Redding California said this at a close-knit leaders meeting:
"Sometimes people struggle to tithe even 10% of what they earn, to God. But people fail to see that the 10% is not the point. Some folks just don't get it. God doesn't want your 10%. God doesn't want your tithes... He wants everything you('ve) got."
And rightly so. It makes a lot of sense. It is even logical.
Story time.
------------------------
A certain Church attendee from a certain city in the county of Los Angeles, was attending Church one night. This attendee, a man, loved God very much, and was a faithful servant of God. During the worship service, God spoke to the man and told him to give into the offering bag everything that he had in his pocket.
(Background: The area of the certain county of Los Angeles was not a well-off area, and neither were the Church attendees of the smallish medium sized Church.)
The man checked his pockets, and found $120, and was hesitant to give all of it into the offering, because the $120 was all the cash that he had, in that current financial moment. He knew that God had spoken; he had heard so clearly, but on the other hand he thought about his family, his wife and children.
As the offering bag came around, he decided to put in $100. He justified himself by thinking that it is his responsibility to at least put food on the table for his family. He justified himself further by thinking that he had given most of what he had to God, and that was better than most others. As the service continued, somebody slipped a note inside the man's pocket. The man noticed the note, but did not open it, for some unknown reason. Perhaps he was listening to the sermon intently.
After the service had ended, while leaving the Church, the man felt the note in his pocket. He plucked it out, opened it up, and found a $100 bill inside with no messages attached. This time God spoke to him loud and clear: "You can have your $100 back. I asked for all you had."
------------------------
"Sometimes people struggle to tithe even 10% of what they earn, to God. But people fail to see that the 10% is not the point. Some folks just don't get it. God doesn't want your 10%. God doesn't want your tithes... He wants everything you('ve) got."
And rightly so. It makes a lot of sense. It is even logical.
Story time.
------------------------
A certain Church attendee from a certain city in the county of Los Angeles, was attending Church one night. This attendee, a man, loved God very much, and was a faithful servant of God. During the worship service, God spoke to the man and told him to give into the offering bag everything that he had in his pocket.
(Background: The area of the certain county of Los Angeles was not a well-off area, and neither were the Church attendees of the smallish medium sized Church.)
The man checked his pockets, and found $120, and was hesitant to give all of it into the offering, because the $120 was all the cash that he had, in that current financial moment. He knew that God had spoken; he had heard so clearly, but on the other hand he thought about his family, his wife and children.
As the offering bag came around, he decided to put in $100. He justified himself by thinking that it is his responsibility to at least put food on the table for his family. He justified himself further by thinking that he had given most of what he had to God, and that was better than most others. As the service continued, somebody slipped a note inside the man's pocket. The man noticed the note, but did not open it, for some unknown reason. Perhaps he was listening to the sermon intently.
After the service had ended, while leaving the Church, the man felt the note in his pocket. He plucked it out, opened it up, and found a $100 bill inside with no messages attached. This time God spoke to him loud and clear: "You can have your $100 back. I asked for all you had."
------------------------
Monday, March 2, 2009
For the Kingdom of God is at Hand
"Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven."
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven."

The "Kingdom of God' does not mean when Jesus comes again in the near future. The Kingdom of God means the kingdom that God wants to invade the current earth with right now.
Hence the above three lines in the model prayer. It is God's will for His Kingdom to come on earth [right now!] as it is in heaven.
--------------------------------------------------
The sure signs of the Kingdom of God coming to earth as it is in heaven are:
(1) A people who are so convicted by the truth of God's Kingdom that they prioritize God to number one in their lives.
(2) A people with a desperate and seeking heart, which does not come in the form of religion.
(3) The power of God among His people, and revival.
--------------------------------------------------
Below is an examples to show that for a long time up until now --> it has been God's heart for revival to hit the Church.
Consider the lyrics to the song: "Touching Heaven Changing Earth" - a song we've been singing regularly since more than 10 years ago.
"We will seek Your face Almighty God
Turn and pray for You to heal our land
Father let revival start in us
Then every heart will know Your kingdom come"
Verse 1 talks about us, seeking God's face until revival hits, so that everyone inside and outside the Church will see that God's kingdom has come.
Never looking back we'll run the race
Giving You our lives we'll gain the prize
We will take the harvest given us
Though we sow in tears, we'll reap in joy
This verse talks about the sacrifice on our part.
Lifting up the name of the Lord
In power and in unity
We will see the nations turn
Touching heaven changing earth
Touching heaven changing earth
The chorus talks of the things that happen when revival comes. The name of the Lord is lifted up because the Church shows power and unity to the community. And it is by our experience of being so powerfully touched by heaven that we will be able to see the people around us turn to Jesus.
Send revival (send revival)
Send revival (send revival)
Send revival to us
The bridge is our constant prayer to God, requesting in accordance to the Word given us.
I know how many times we have sung this song in Church. Countless times.
Then why is it that revival has not hit our Church?
Is it because we don't mean what we sing? Or is it that we mean what we sing, but we just don't desire for God enough?
Do we expect revival to come in our generation?
If not, why not? If God has meant the outpouring of His Spirit for us on us right now even in these few weeks, how can we not pursue these things, right now?
Thus, the
Points of action:
Below is an examples to show that for a long time up until now --> it has been God's heart for revival to hit the Church.
Consider the lyrics to the song: "Touching Heaven Changing Earth" - a song we've been singing regularly since more than 10 years ago.
"We will seek Your face Almighty God
Turn and pray for You to heal our land
Father let revival start in us
Then every heart will know Your kingdom come"
Verse 1 talks about us, seeking God's face until revival hits, so that everyone inside and outside the Church will see that God's kingdom has come.
Never looking back we'll run the race
Giving You our lives we'll gain the prize
We will take the harvest given us
Though we sow in tears, we'll reap in joy
This verse talks about the sacrifice on our part.
Lifting up the name of the Lord
In power and in unity
We will see the nations turn
Touching heaven changing earth
Touching heaven changing earth
The chorus talks of the things that happen when revival comes. The name of the Lord is lifted up because the Church shows power and unity to the community. And it is by our experience of being so powerfully touched by heaven that we will be able to see the people around us turn to Jesus.
Send revival (send revival)
Send revival (send revival)
Send revival to us
The bridge is our constant prayer to God, requesting in accordance to the Word given us.
I know how many times we have sung this song in Church. Countless times.
Then why is it that revival has not hit our Church?
Is it because we don't mean what we sing? Or is it that we mean what we sing, but we just don't desire for God enough?
Do we expect revival to come in our generation?
If not, why not? If God has meant the outpouring of His Spirit for us on us right now even in these few weeks, how can we not pursue these things, right now?
Thus, the
Points of action:
1) No longer will we wait on God to see if He wants a revival.
2) No longer will we think that revival is for the next generation to come.
3) No longer will we make excuses to put off revival or make it a low priority, because we know that the revival of the Church is in the will of God right now.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
How Many Words Are There In The Bible?
Some Christians may have the following perspective on the Bible:
"A book with a lot of pages, very small text, and extremely thin paper. Content isn't very interesting, that's why we labour at it two chapters a day everyday of the year. To finish the book once would take at least, well, quite a number of days - whatever two chapters divided by the number of chapters there are in the Bible, minus the days I take off because I forget, can't be bothered, or give up reading altogether. So in the end it takes about forever to read the Bible over... once!"
That used to be my perspective a while ago. How that has changed.
The length of and the time it takes to read the Bible is no longer mystical and unfathomable after this entry has been posted. Do you know how many words there are in the Bible?
In the King James version, there are 609,269 words in the Old Testament and 179,011 words in the New Testament, for a total of 788,280 words. (Other versions will have very similar statistics)
Here's the interesting part:
According to studies (found on the Internet), books on tape are recommended to be read at about 160 words per minute, which is the range that people comfortably hear and vocalize words. Have you read an audio book before? It is quite slow.
But let's suppose you read really slow at 140 words per minute, (which is pretty much primary school reading). Let's do some maths -->
((788,280/60)/140) = 94 hours, where 60 is the number of minutes in an hour, and 140 is the number of words read in a minute.
Check your reading speed here --> http://mindbluff.com/askread.htm
You will be surprised just like I was, when I cleared a result of 365+ words/minute.
For your further information, the last book in Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga, "Breaking Dawn" has a word count of 192,196, which is tens of thousands more than the New Testament. Click here to check out how fast people finished "Breaking Dawn". One particular forum user said that she finished "Breaking Dawn" in one week, but announced that it was only because school was back on. And yes these people are teenagers.
In closing, please don't get me wrong, I am not encouraging anyone to speed read the Bible. But I do believe that it is essential for people to quickly read the Bible over a few times to get a good idea of the structure, content, and central themes. After that, when a Christian has a steady base to build understanding upon, is he able to effectively study and meditate on the Word of God.
Here's a theory, and it goes like this:
[In reading the Word of God, it takes drastic commitment to read two chapters a day for two years. It is probably easier, more feasible, more achievable,** to commit to 100,000 words per day for 8 days.]
** and more satisfying
"A book with a lot of pages, very small text, and extremely thin paper. Content isn't very interesting, that's why we labour at it two chapters a day everyday of the year. To finish the book once would take at least, well, quite a number of days - whatever two chapters divided by the number of chapters there are in the Bible, minus the days I take off because I forget, can't be bothered, or give up reading altogether. So in the end it takes about forever to read the Bible over... once!"
That used to be my perspective a while ago. How that has changed.
The length of and the time it takes to read the Bible is no longer mystical and unfathomable after this entry has been posted. Do you know how many words there are in the Bible?
In the King James version, there are 609,269 words in the Old Testament and 179,011 words in the New Testament, for a total of 788,280 words. (Other versions will have very similar statistics)
Here's the interesting part:
According to studies (found on the Internet), books on tape are recommended to be read at about 160 words per minute, which is the range that people comfortably hear and vocalize words. Have you read an audio book before? It is quite slow.
But let's suppose you read really slow at 140 words per minute, (which is pretty much primary school reading). Let's do some maths -->
((788,280/60)/140) = 94 hours, where 60 is the number of minutes in an hour, and 140 is the number of words read in a minute.
Check your reading speed here --> http://mindbluff.com/askread.htm
You will be surprised just like I was, when I cleared a result of 365+ words/minute.
For your further information, the last book in Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga, "Breaking Dawn" has a word count of 192,196, which is tens of thousands more than the New Testament. Click here to check out how fast people finished "Breaking Dawn". One particular forum user said that she finished "Breaking Dawn" in one week, but announced that it was only because school was back on. And yes these people are teenagers.
In closing, please don't get me wrong, I am not encouraging anyone to speed read the Bible. But I do believe that it is essential for people to quickly read the Bible over a few times to get a good idea of the structure, content, and central themes. After that, when a Christian has a steady base to build understanding upon, is he able to effectively study and meditate on the Word of God.
Here's a theory, and it goes like this:
[In reading the Word of God, it takes drastic commitment to read two chapters a day for two years. It is probably easier, more feasible, more achievable,** to commit to 100,000 words per day for 8 days.]
** and more satisfying
Friday, January 2, 2009
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