The Lost Symbol

Yes folks, Dan Brown's latest thriller-novel is out! Or rather, it has been out for a good 2 weeks already, but I just finished reading it yesterday coz I only unwrapped the packaging and unveiled this juicy, "cryptic" book a few days ago due to the tumultuous frenzy and hustle-and-bustle of med school life!

Don't worry, this post is not going to be a spoiler... nor is it going to be anywhere near it! Briefly, this good 500 plus page-turner is suspense-filled on every level for most of the plot, and once you start reading it, you won't want to put it down, EVER! (And even then, I think I'm selling it short!) New York Times praised the book as being "impossible to put down" and claimed Brown is "bringing sexy back to a genre that had been left for dead (or L4D-ed =D)". Fans claim that it is essentially brain candy for the "initiated", as there are lots of references to historical places, symbols, religion, mysticism, science and so on. Brown loves showing us places where our carefully tended cultural boundaries — between Christian and pagan, sacred and secular, ancient and modern — are actually extraordinarily messy. WARNING: Again, as with many of Brown's previous novels, there is a great need to be able to discern the facts of reality from the frailty of fiction when reading this book, especially when it involves the Christian faith. Still, the book provides insights and challenges its readers to think and ponder over controversial issues. Don't say you weren't warned!

Anyway, let me juz give you folks a brief summary about the book. This is the 3rd Brown novel to involve the character of Robert Langdon, a Harvard University symbologist that many fans have grown to love from his first two books. Brown even put a disclaimer at the beginning of the novel stating that many institutions and places referenced in the book are non-fictional. Again, he proves his genius lies in uncovering odd facts and suppressed history. Unlike his previous books (The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons) where most of the scenarios takes place outside the United States (e.g. the Vatican, Paris), the setting of the story takes readers on a breathtaking journey that many fans will deem "closer to home": the most powerful capital city in the world, Washington D.C.

So for those who have not laid their hands on the book yet, I truly wonder whether your gluteus maximus' muscle functioning needs to be examined! On its first day (15 September 09), the book sold one million in hardcover and e-book versions in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada, making it the fastest selling adult novel in history! After only 10 days in the market, it topped the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction.

There is a famous saying: Time and tide waits for no man... Go get it now!

~Tim~

Of Being a Perfectionist & an All-rounder... At the Same Time

There is a saying which goes, "In life, it would benefit one to learn something about everything, and everything about something". Ever since my secondary school years, I've aspired to strive for excellence in all and every aspect of my life. Even now, many close family members and friends would agree that my personality encompasses two very prominent traits... The perfectionist and the all-rounder. Don't get me wrong, or pass this off as simple naivety. I know I am not perfect, nor will I ever be. Still, I wanted to be good in everything I came across. No, allow me to correct myself. I wanted to be the BEST in everything I did. I wanted to be better than anyone else academically. I wanted to work hard to acquire that buff physique that most jocks possess that I could be proud of. I wanted to be good in every sport I could lay my hands on. I wanted to be well-liked and popular. I knew for a fact that all my needs (NOT wants) were met because my family was a pretty well-to-do one financially. I wanted to be 'invincible' emotionally; to never let the small things in life bug me, or allow other people to put me down. I wanted to learn and, if possible, master the piano, guitar and drums. And last but not least, I wanted to be rooted in the Word of God so I could live out my life for Him and that others would see His influence on my life.

Perhaps it was the 'kiasu' mentality that had stuck to my psyche ever since I picked up and read those Singapore-syllabus-based Science and Mathematics textbooks back in primary school. Or maybe it was the continuous motivation from my parents that kept ringing in my head telling me to do my best during ongoing tests and exams; and that healthy competition among my peers was a good thing. At the same time, it reminded me of a truth that many parents neglect to tell their children... the simple reminder that both my parents believed in me and wanted to see me excel, but more importantly, that they loved me all the same no matter what the outcome was. My parents never had to nag me to study, because I would be self-motivated to do the things that needed doing. Whatever it was, I could never remember a time when I actually suffered academically, or failed any paper in a major exam. Just recently, I was reminded of how blessed I am for having such loving and caring parents. After hearing descriptions of the tense family situations that some of my close friends face at home, I can truly say that I am grateful and thankful to the Lord for giving me such wonderful parents.

Thank you Mum & Dad!

For always being there for me...
For loving and caring for me so wholeheartedly...
For guiding and showing me the difference between right and wrong...
For being patient with me...
For giving me advice when I needed it...
For rebuking me when I did something wrong or unacceptable...
For punishing me so I would not repeat the same mistakes...
For teaching me humility and selflessness... and most importantly,
For believing in me!

I love you both very much!

Of course, I would not have done it or made it this far if it were not for the grace of God in my life. For that, I am eternally thankful to my personal Lord & Saviour, Jesus Christ, who has given me a purpose, a hope, and a destiny. All glory be to our Lord God Almighty!

Forgive me for digressing. As mentioned above, I am very much, or at least try to be, both a perfectionist and an all-rounder at the same time. However recently, I've been pondering. Is it possible to be both a perfectionist and an all-rounder in the vast field of medicine? Maybe I can't be both at the same time. Maybe what I need is a paradigm shift of some sort. At this point, it is probably wise to give you an example by relating this to the medical field so you can see where I am coming from and gain a better understanding of the point I'm trying to make here. In almost all cases, a doctor who is a specialist is said to have perfected everything there is to know in his or her chosen field of specialty. Naturally over long periods of time, specialists would be less competent in other fields, and in some cases, if uninformed or unaware, know nothing about some very new sub-specialties. How then can this doctor be an all-rounder? Likewise on the contrary, a General Practitioner (or GP) is someone who professes to be good at, or know a lot about, medicine as a whole. Is it humanly possible, for a GP to be perfect in his or her knowledge about everything?

Do you see my dilemma? Do you NOW see why there is a problem here? In the future as I advance in my career, do I have to select between being either a perfectionist or an all-rounder, or can I have the luxury of being both?

Anyway, those are just my thoughts. Whatever the case, I am still learning, as always. =)

Soli Deo Gloria.

~Tim~

Spiritual Discernment and Decision Making

One day a young fugitive, trying to hide himself from the enemy, entered a small village. The people were kind to him and offered him a place to stay. But when the soldiers who sought the fugitive asked where he was hiding, everyone became very fearful. The soldiers threatened to burn the village and kill every person in it unless the young man was handed to them before dawn. The people went to the Pastor and asked him what to do. Torn between handing over the boy to the enemy and having his people killed, the Pastor withdrew to his room and read his Bible, hoping to find an answer before dawn. In the early morning, his eyes fell on these words, “It is better that one man dies than that the whole people be lost.”

Then the Pastor closed the Bible, called the soldiers, and told them where the boy was hidden. And after the soldiers took the fugitive away to be killed, there was a feast in the village because the Pastor has saved the lives of the people. But the Pastor did not celebrate. Overcome with a deep sadness, he remained in his room. That night an angel came to him and asked, “What have you done?” He said: “I handed over the fugitive to the enemy.” Then the angel said: “But don’t you know that you have handed over the Messiah?” “How could I know?” the Pastor replied anxiously. Then the angel said; “If, instead of reading your Bible, you had visited this young man just once and looked into his eyes, you would have known.”

What would you have done if you were this Pastor? Would you consider it justifiable that one man should be sacrificed for the lives of the whole village? Would you have felt that you have obeyed God by letting the Bible speak to you this way? Our first impression is that the Pastor did right. Is he not considerate of his village? Did he not seek the will of God through his Word? Is it not better that one should die so that others may live; especially if the one who is to die is a stranger? In fact he should be commended for his wisdom and piety.

However the angel was not happy. The fugitive is the long awaited Messiah. The Pastor asked a question which millions of people before him have asked since they nailed the Prince of Peace onto a wooden cross to die, “How could I know?” Would it have made a difference if he has known earlier? Of course it would. He would have been willing sacrifice himself and his village for the Messiah... or would he?

I believe that the Pastor had already made up his mind to save himself and his village even before his deliberation. He had already decided that the fugitive, this outsider, should be sacrificed for the greater good. His deliberation was just to find reasons to justify his actions. He agonised in prayer and in his meditation throughout the night, but just could not find the peace, until a random passage in the Bible confirmed what he had already decided. That would have explained why he did not go to meet the fugitive. It was a small village. Could it be that he was unable to meet the person he had already condemned? On hearing about the arrival of this fugitive, he would had already resolved to give up to the soldiers whom he knew were on the heels of this fugitive.

The Pastor’s greatest weakness is his failure to see that all men reflect the face of God and are all of equal value. If he did, he would no more be willing to give up the fugitive to the enemy as he would give up any of his villagers. His second failure was to make up his mind first and then seek God’s counsel.

I wonder how often in our lives have we decided upon a course of action first, and then ask God to justify our actions? Having made up our mind, we would spend days, months and years in a struggle with God, and our conscience looking for confirmation and justification. We would interpret all circumstances and events to support our decision. We accept only the counsel of people who say what we want to hear. And we pick from the Bible passages that agree with our assessment while rejecting the rest. We suppress the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit and our conscience, resisting the sense of unease, and sometimes attributing it to spiritual warfare. We believe that the strong impression that we sense in our heart are a confirmation from the Lord, not suspecting that our hearts are capable of great self-deception. Then we proceed with the course of action, convincing others that it is God’s will or even worst that we speak for God. The result of this is often catastrophic. People are hurt, ministries disrupted, and our souls are severe injured. What is not of God will not endure.

So when we want to discern the will of God, let us be honest. Let us truly seek his wisdom and counsel and be open to listen and accept his guidance. We need to move into a place of solitude as Jesus did in the garden of Gethsemane to listen. There is the need to fast and pray; disciplining our bodies so that we can be open to God. We need to adopt the attitude of listening to the whole counsel of God from the Bible, not just selected verses. Listening also involves hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking into our lives and by the Spirit through the mind of God, understand the circumstances and events in our lives. Spiritual decision making is not testing God as Gideon did with his fleeces. Last but not least, let us listen to the discernment and thoughts of our fellow Christians in our community. We share the same baptism and the same Spirit. If the Spirit has spoken to us, then he would have spoken to others too. If the other members of our community of faith do not agree with our plan of action, it would be wise to stop and take stock.

There is a great need for Christians to learn spiritual discernment. For too long, we have leaned unto our own understanding, using our minds to make decisions, and to discern a course of action. We must avoid what the Pastor has discovered. What seems right in our own eyes may not be right at all. We all need spiritual sight in our discernment. Let us beware that we do not unintentionally crucify Jesus again.

~Tim~

The Rainbow

He looked at the rainbow, knowing full well that its beauty surpassed that of everything else in nature. Its majestic presence, a rare sight after the heavy rain, that presented itself only to those who were looking for it, to those who knew where to look, and to those who knew that once they found it, it would certainly change their lives forever.

For him, it was not something that he fell in love with at first sight. He had seen many “others” like it, but this one, this one had a natural, surreal beauty of its own. This rainbow was special, he saw an “inner core” of beauty, candour, and elegance that he had never seen before in any other. This rainbow had a radiance that brought glimmers and rays of hope to all who were fortunate enough to be graced by its presence. He understood that it signified something peaceful, something optimistic that blessed his soul and spirit, even after having endured and experienced a tumultuous thunderstorm of sorts. Surprisingly, as it were with this rainbow, he could not help but notice that its purple arc was more pronounced than that of the other colours.

Deep down, he knew what he wanted… this rainbow. In his mind, he could recall a famous belief that stated that there is a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow. But to him, this particular rainbow was worth more to him than all the riches of this world, more valuable than anything the world had to offer.

Unfortunately, he knew that it was inevitable. It was of no use going against the laws of nature. He knew that although the rainbow was strong-willed and free-spirited inside, it would not be enough to face the forces of nature. Being an abstract phenomenon in the world of physics, it was only logical that the rainbow would eventually disappear under normal circumstances. It would vanish into thin air, the same rainbow never to be seen or heard of again.

Still, he wanted to make a difference, to BE the difference.

If he were granted one wish somehow, it would be so that the rainbow before him would never fade away. It would truly take a miracle to stop that from ever happening. Some would call it faith. He bowed his head in humility to pray. He adored this rainbow, but he knew he had to let it go… only because he had to go first.