amadeo_01's Xanga

Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:42:41 GMT

I stumbled across this youtube video that someone posted and later realized that apparently this is an inspirational speech that is kind of taking people by storm right now, so I guess I caught on a little late. In any case, as I am in the habit of doing with things such as videos that inspire or challenge me, I decided to watch it a number of times back to back, in this case twice. The second time I decided to take notes to enable me to further reflect on some of the things that were said. I am posting this more for my own benefit so I may look back at it and think more on it, but I thought that making it a public posting would be much more beneficial and much more edifying to others around me who don't have the time to watch a 75 min video multiple times and really soak up what's being said.

Extremel brief background, Randy Pausch is a tenured professor of computer science at Carnegie-Mellon University and he lives life in a truly optimistic and really inspiring way. He was actually voted as one of the top 100 influential people in 2008. He gave this talk as part of a "Last Lecture" Series where professors would give a lecture regarding what they think is the most important things that people should know, based on their experience. At this point, he was actually in that situation since he had just been diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer and he has actually just passed away about 4 days ago (slightly less than 2 years after he gave this last lecture). I highly recommend people to take some time out or make the time to watch the video on youtube if at all possible, since it has a much greater effect and makes much more sense than the context-less quotes I have posted underneath. He gives a very fresh perspective on life. Not one that is naive or ignorant, but one that really challenges you to push yourself and to focus on others and to lead your life in a meaningful way. It isn't even his words, but how he describes his experiences shows that he has really been living life in that way, and it's amazing and inspiring. It makes me think about certain perspectives I myself hold that I realize I should be striving to change as well. Anyway, take a look at the video if you have a chance. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo.

Here are the quotes/notes that I took out of the lecture and again, this is mainly for my own personal reflection and though some of it is cliche, it's still a good reminder. Sometimes, when we hear something often enough, we stop putting any weight in it, and sometimes, it's worth it to take a step back, and realize that it can actually mean quite a bit if we don't immediately shut it out and think "yea yea, heard it before, whatever". Anyway, here I go.

We cannot change the cards that we are dealt, just how we play the hand
Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things, let us show our dedication
You might get more from pursuing a dream than actually accomplishing it
You have to get the fundamentals down otherwise the fancy stuff isn't going to work
When you're screwing up and no one's saying anything to you anymore, you are in a very bad place because it means they have given up on you. You should cherish these people because these are the people who really care and love you.
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted
Most of what we learn, we learn indirectly ("head fake") - i.e. learn football not for football, but to learn perseverance, teamwork, sportsmanship...etc.
Wait long enough and people will impress and surprise you - if you're annoyed at someone, you just haven't given them enough time
Ask yourself, how can I enable the childhood dreams of others?
You are doing people a disservice if you set them a bar of expectation. Push them to keep going.
Can tell how well the end result produced by a team is going to be just by seeing how well the team interacts
If you're going to do anything that's pioneering, you will get arrows in the back and anything that can go wrong will go wrong, but you have to keep going with it and all's well that end's well.
When you hand something over, find someone better than you to hand it over to
Best gift an educator can give is to get someone to become self-reflective
Best way to teach someone something, is to make them think they're learning something else (i.e. he set up computer games where people think they're just writing script lines for a story but are actually learning the JAVA computer programming language)
If you are perceived as arrogant (or something like that), it will limit what you are going to be able to accomplish (because it will limit how you see things, and will limit how people see and respect you and what you do)
Learn from your students. When you're the teacher, it doesn't mean you only teach and the student only learns. It is two-way.
Teach people in a way that is presented as a story telling opportunity
Decide whether you are a Tigger or an Eeyore in life. Very important point regarding the perspective we take in life.
Never lose the childlike wonder, it's just too important and it's what drives us
Loyalty is a two-way street
Ignore everything that people say, and only pay attention to what they do, that's what matters. This quote was framed specifically as advice for girls who are being pursued romantically by guys, but I think it is very important for everyone. As I always say, words are empty, actions speak much louder than words. If you live a certain way, they don't need to use words to tell you anything, you will know. If they use words to tell you but aren't living it, their words should not be able to convince you of anything. This is true for relationships (i.e. girls being pursued by guys or vice versa, girl interested in a guy or vice versa) but also just very generally in terms of examining someone's character.
There are moments that change your life and if you recognize it 10 years later, you're blessed, but if you recognize it earlier, all the better.
You can't get there alone, let others help you.
Tell the truth
Be earnest (long term character trait)
Apologize when you screw up
Focus on others, not yourself, it's not about you, make it about others
Don't bail, the best gold is at the bottom of the barrel of crap
Get a feedback loop (i.e. mentor, friend) and listen to it - the hard part is listening to it. Cherish the feedback.
Show gratitude
Don't complain, just work harder - Jacky Robinson, baseball player, had a clause in his contract not to complain, even when fans spit on him
Be good at something, it makes you valuable
Work hard, that's the secret
Find the best in everybody, no matter how long you have to wait for them to show it
Be prepared. Luck is where preparation meets opportunity
It's not about how to achieve your dreams, it's about how to lead your life. If you lead your life the right way, the dreams will come to you.
We don't beat "the reaper" by living longer, we beat the reaper by living well and living fully. The reaper will come for all of us, but what do we do between the time we're born and the time he shows up is what's important, because by the time he shows up, it's too late.
Life is not about the things in life that we regret, it is the things that we do not regret.
You need to find your passion. Don't give up on finding it, because otherwise you're doing nothing but waiting for the reaper.
Find your passion and follow it. You will not find that passion in things, nor in money, because the more things or more money you have, the more you will use that as your metric and there will always be someone with more.
Passion must come from the things that fuel you from the inside.
Honours and awards are nice things but only to the extent that they regard the real respect from your peers, and to be thought well of by other people that you think even more highly of, is a tremendous honour.
No matter what you do at work, at leisure, passion should be grounded in people, and it should be grounded in the relationships you have with people and what they think of you when your time comes.
Find your passion and find true love.
You know you've found true love when you find someone whose happiness means more to you than your own.

Fencing

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 02:16:00 GMT

Today there was a prayer meeting and during that time, I took time and looked out the window. Now the window faced out to the back of Bahen centre and what I could see were these big grey machines, which I assume to be power generators, and they were heavily fenced off. Along with that, there was a garbage pile also, seeing how it's the back of the building, out of sight from any judging eyes.

From this picture, God opened my eyes to two things.

Firstly, regarding the garbage pile at the back of the building, as well as the fencing. I felt God was (and is) asking me to examine myself. Do I have piles of garbage that I try to hide away in the back of my mind, in an area that is unexposed to others, perhaps even unexposed to myself? Also, am I fencing away this part of myself away from God as opposed to just surrendering myself, all of me, including that back part, to Him? I just pray that God breaks down those fences in my life, that I would be able to surrender myself wholly to Him and that I would be unafraid to examine myself.

Secondly, I was brought to the attention of the power generators. Ugly and grey externally, like us, imperfect jars of clay. However, within those grey boxes, lies hidden the circuitry and the power that provides for all of Bahen centre, if not more. Provides all the electricity which is for the heating, the lighting, the technology, everything that makes Bahen one of the central areas for engineering on this campus, is fueled by what is hidden in those ugly grey boxes. Those grey boxes are really like us, no matter how "good" we look by the world's standards, by God's standards, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). However, within us dwells the Holy Spirit, sent by Christ when He reconciled us to God the Father through His blood and sacrifice. We are to have this Spirit really just fill us up and we need to walk in this Spirit, and be a living testimony to all around us. If God dwells in us, and we just fence ourselves off, like those grey boxes that are fenced off, then we are useless. We are burying our talent in the ground and that is not glorifying to God (See Parable of the Talents). We need to shine out that light and let the Spirit lead us as we walk the narrow path of salvation and righteousness and by surrendering and conforming ourselves to the will of God, that little grey box that we are can end up powering everything around us.

Grad Student Videos

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 05:54:34 GMT

Grad Student Videos :P

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 05:36:52 GMT

Treehouse Vision

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 04:53:50 GMT

"Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, (Matt 13:32) with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air (Dan 4:20-21)."

The combination of these 2 verses provides an image of what I vision for the house next year. To give some background, for next year, I have managed to find a place that fits 12 people, and I've been planning for it ever since. The 12 ppl I have found to occupy this place (including myself) are all CCFers, though I will refrain from calling it a CCF house since it may give the impression that it's exclusive. So...onto the vision...

One day last week, while doing my devos, I was given the image of a tree, and typically when you picture a tree, you picture what can typically be seen, which is what is above ground. But the image I was given included the roots, growing far beneath the soil. This idea of a tree is the basis of my vision for next year.

The first part of the 2 verse vision statement: Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree (Matt 13:32).
The seeds are like the people at the house, full of potential, but not yet grown and nurtured. From these seeds, the roots of the tree will form. These roots are where nutrients are pulled up, and the idea of roots is what I see for us in the house next year. It is where we can inreach and grow together as a community, and as a family, worshipping together, learning together, magnifying and focusing on God day in day out, being accountable to each other...etc. In this way, each person will be spiritually fed and build up a personal relationship with Christ, as well as a corporate one with the other brothers and sisters. To grow together, I hope to encourage spiritual disciplines, which would include (but is not limited to) devotionals, prayer, musical worship,accountability/sharing, Bible reading/study, as well as other not so formal activities like forming cooking teams, cleaning teams...etc. The other key about the roots is that it is typically not seen because it is under the ground, but it is vital. So this growth and inreaching will be something I hope to emphasize at the house, but something I would actually not suggest outside of the house (i.e. on campus) so that we do not seem like a clique and seem unwelcoming to others.

The second part of the 2 verse vision statement: "with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth, with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the beasts of the field, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds of the air (Dan 4:20-21)."
This 2 verse motif is akin to the vision for CCF last year, which was "move in, move out". In the same way, as the first verse was the focus on building ourselves/each other up and equipping ourselves, the second verse is about outreach and moving out. This is the part where we are outside of the house community, be that in class, at CCF, at Kowloon, or anywhere, we are "visible to the whole earth" and so we must reflect out God's glory. Also, this is describing the part of the tree that is above ground, and in order for the tree to bear "abundant fruit" and "beautiful leaves", it means we must branch out. So one thing I will encourage next year is that when outside of the house, we actually try not to focus on hanging around our housemates all the time, and actually use our outside-the-house time to build up relationships with the others in our community, whoever they may be, believers or nonbelievers, friends or strangers. Also, since we have a house to ourselves, as I discussed with one of the others at the house next year, we were thinking of doing maybe a big dinner once a month or something, just another form of outreach and building community by providing hospitality, kind of like it says in the verse, by giving shelter and providing food (both literally, physical food, as well as being spiritual food for others by pouring ourselves out).

This is what I vision for the residents at the house next year, that we can really bless each other, and also by growing together w/ each other, w/ ourselves, and w/ God, we can also thereby really go out and bless those in our community.

Random

Fri, 16 Mar 2007 17:06:56 GMT

Bored enough to do this short thing that Danny did and put on his xanga. Here's mine.

<center><table border="1" width="450"><td align="center"><font size="+2">Family is most important in your life.</font><br /><br />
<br />Having a high focus on family indicates that you are a loving and nurturing person. You want to have a nice big family of your own, and you are very close with your siblings and parents.<br />
<br /><img src="http://img.quizgalaxy.com/life_piechart-1-3-5-5-1-2.jpg" alt="Life Piechart - QuizGalaxy.com" />
<br /><a href="http://www.quizgalaxy.com/quiz.php?id=55">Take this quiz</a> at <a href="http://www.quizgalaxy.com">QuizGalaxy.com</a></td></table></center>

The Discipline of Dismay Devotional

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 05:47:32 GMT

Something very encouraging to me from my daily devo:

"But when the darkness of dismay comes, endure until it is over, because out of it will come the ability to follow Jesus truly, which brings inexpressibly wonderful joy."

    -Oswald Chambers, March 15 Daily Devotional of My Utmost For His Highest

A Bible passage that was also encouraging to me was:

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."

    -James 1:2-4

Worship Leading

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 14:23:57 GMT

Interesting article I found. Good to reflect on.

Ministry Matters: Great Worship Leaders
Dan Wilt
Contributing Writer, Songs4Worship.com

As a trainer of new worship leaders, I make it my goal to reinforce the key skill-set and essential soul-set necessary for a worship leader – in any type of church environment – to be a prime candidate pursued in one of these phone calls. Whether a postmodern church experiment or an established congregation is on the line, there are certain qualities that run like a thread through the lives of consistently effective and authoritative worship leaders.

Here are just a few:

Great Worship Leaders... are consistent.

Anyone can lead a great worship moment every once in awhile. The strongest worship leaders have a knack for consistently leading worship, in small groups, large groups, conferences, etc., in an effective and meaningful way.

Great worship leaders have learned how to build a worship set in a consistent and systematic way, without feeling like they’re quenching the Spirit of God if they prepare well.

Great worship leaders know how to make the lion’s share of a set out of songs that are fresh yet familiar, God- centered and easily engaged by all age groups.

Great worship leaders know how to let the songs lead worship and give the worshiper language for worship. They feel no pressure to say-a-lot or pray-a-lot to keep energy flowing.

Great Worship Leaders... are equippers. The most appreciated worship leaders have a streak of a trainer and mentor running through them. They are not content to have the platform all to themselves over a few years. They are always looking for those they can train, mentor and release, either inside or outside of that local congregation. They are secure in the gift they offer, and in the face of the gifts that others offer.

Great worship leaders know how to enjoy the process of building lifelong friendships with developing worship leaders – particularly those who value their input and share like-mindedness on key levels.

Great worship leaders know how to mentor over time, without feeling any pressure to release people to lead worship before they are developed musically, emotionally or skillfully.

Great worship leaders know how to become older brothers and sisters in worship leading, and not to simply protect themselves in the “always-leading” worship leadership role.

Great Worship Leaders ... are pastoral. These worship leaders have a wider skill set than just playing an instrument, leading worship and leading a band. Most churches cannot afford such a limited capability in a new staff member. Most pastors and leaders I know are looking for worship leaders stirred by Kingdom passion, and motivated by pastoral love for the church.

Another call has come in. “We’re looking for a worship leader; can you help us?” Often, the pastor calling is looking for someone with a defined skill set, a refined character and an inclined heart toward transplanting to their church location. Most times, the request is coupled with a caveat that the pay is minimal or non-existent, the worship leader must be willing to move to their area, find a job, and voluntarily lead worship. However, at other times, the church is prepared to pay someone, either part-time or full-time, to be their worship pastor. In these cases, my list becomes shorter, and I look for the qualities and experience that mark those I consider to be “Great Worship Leaders.”

Great worship leaders actually care for, and shepherd, their worship teams. Great worship leaders “pastor” the congregation as they lead worship. It is clear to the church that the worship leader is not primarily in front to express his or her musical preferences in worship.

Great worship leaders know when to ask someone to join a team, because their hearts are right, and how to ask someone to take a break because their hearts are askew from the central mandate of the team – to serve.

Great Worship Leaders ... are proficient. Worship leaders who play their instrument well have a much longer sustainability factor within a changing congregation than do those who are weak technically and cannot handle a diversity of demographic or need in a local community.

Great worship leaders are able on their instrument. They are not always the most proficient musician on the team; in fact, they are sometimes the least! However, they can lead the band confidently with what they do know.

Great worship leaders have just enough arranging ability to take a rag tag team, intuitively know what songs they can pull off smoothly, and what songs they simply cannot, and make them sound sweet together in simple arrangements.

Great worship leaders practice privately, and keep their own chops up personally or with lessons.

Great Worship Leaders ... understand authority. These worship leaders understand what mutual submission is all about. They recognize the mantle that the lead pastor carries for the congregation, and they do all they can to defer to, and support, that leader.

Great worship leaders know how to honor time limits, ask teachable questions, and share the pastor’s vision for the church in song selection and event preparation.

Great worship leaders do not push their way into worship leading or other roles – they offer their gifts, and then allow God to make a place for them to lead. They are not pushy or forceful – they are centered, and full of trust in God to make a place for their leadership.

Great worship leaders graciously receive input, and even pursue it – especially from the lead pastor and common (non-musical) worshipers in the congregation.

Great Worship Leaders ... are passionate. The passionate will always lead, no matter the sphere or situation. Inspiring worship leaders carry a blend of passion and restraint in their toolbox. The leader’s hunger for God, evidenced in an honest and vulnerable worship leading style, is irreplaceable, and evident to all. Many dispassionate worship leaders are hired because their musical skill level can cover up for a lack of personal passion as a worshiper.

At the same time that passionate worship is the hallmark of their leadership, great worship leaders are very keen in knowing when to push the envelope in worship, and when to hold back, even when their own emotions are running high.

Great worship leaders are exhuberant, without becoming cheerleaders. In other words, they approach the moment of worship with enthusiasm, yet that enthusiasm is tempered with gentleness and a lack of need to generate outward emotion to feel that they’ve done their job.

Great worship leaders can separate their personal emotional state from what the moment calls for in the group they are leading (I don’t know that this art is learned by any other mode than longevity in worship leading experience).

Great worship leaders love God and the secret place, and worship frequently, for extended times, on their own. This is an abbreviated look at the key qualities to be sought after as we develop into the most effective lead worshipers we can be. Make it your vision to be the most effective worship leader you know, making it easy for the heart cry of the community of God to find its way out of their hearts through the music of worship, and before the One they love. Then, train others around you to seek greatness in the same high calling.

A Cliffhanging Life

Mon, 04 Sep 2006 12:49:26 GMT

So yesterday night at dinner, my friend decided to randomly insert a short blurb on what he felt like life was like right now. I didn't know what to say in response but after some reflection on it, it actually makes a lot of sense. He said that life today is like if you had fallen off a cliff and are hanging onto a branch for dear life. So in this position, you're screaming for help and asking "Is anyone out there?". God responds and says, "I'm here, I'll help you, just let go of the branch". At this point, you continue to scream for help and ask "Is anyone else out there??"

This is actually a pretty accurate depiction of life today, given some thought. The society, the culture, this world in general, is lost and hurting and has been falling further and further into sin and immorality, and at an ever-quickening pace too. The people of this Earth who do not know Christ are lost and empty, searching, but for the wrong things, eyes are open but they do not see, ears are receptive but do not hear. They are clutching onto life for what it's worth but when God extends His loving hand and offers them the love they've been seeking, a love that goes beyond what they could have imagined in fact, people refuse to have faith and they reject that hand and instead, continue to clutch even more dearly to the burdens of this world. I guess as long as we have something to clutch onto, then we have trouble surrendering ourselves. However, I do notice that a lot of people who end up in jail do turn to Christ later on, possibly because they've been forcibly removed from what they were holding to in this material world. It's kind of like being pried off the branch and falling into God's comforting hand and you'll finally know, wow, He was there all along waiting for me to fall so He could catch me. Similarly, when people have nowhere else to turn, they often seek God. This is exemplified in the major crisis of the North American world of this generation, that is, the 9/11 attacks. The vigil that night brought so many Americans together over the destruction and they turned to God. The sad thing is that oftentimes, after landing in God's loving hand, we eventually pick ourselves back up, get a nice running start and jump back up to the branch, thus restarting the cycle. My prayer is that those who have fallen will learn to rely not on themselves anymore but to turn to God and stay that way by really realizing who He is. My prayer is also that the proud and self-reliant may fall, otherwise they will not know God because they will continue to rely solely on themselves.

On another note, I've been avidly telling everyone to watch the 722 Love and Marriage series because I feel everyone should know this stuff prior to entering a relationship. Seriously. If anybody wants it, just leave a comment or something and I'll email it to you.

Love and Marriage - 722 Series

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 03:58:10 GMT

Here are just some things that have really stuck out to me while watching this 4 part series on Love and Marriage at 722, as spoken by Voddie Baucham, an amazingly compelling and powerful speaker. All the quotes here are his. These are more points for my own reflection but hopefully others who read this can benefit and gain more understanding of what the purpose of love and marriage is and the Biblical basis for it.

Marriage has 2 purposes: procreation and illustration.
Procreation means not just to bring a life into the world, but to nurture and mentor it with the Love of Christ so that we could spread the image of God all over the Earth. Marriage is also an illustration of the relationship between Christ and His Church.

"My prayer for you is that you will not buy the lie of this culture that sees marriage as a merger. That you will not buy the lie of this culture that sees marriage as temporary. That you will not buy the lie of this culture that says it's temporary. That you will not buy the lie of this culture that says it's just about you being satisfied and comfortable. That you will not buy the lie of this culture that says it's just about finding the prettiest person you could possibly find and stare at them until they don't look so pretty anymore. That you would grab ahold of this concept that God desires to use you for His glory and His honour, and part of that may include that He bring one alongside you, who would send you along further than you could have ever gone yourself, and with whom you can bare and raise children who can come to know and serve the Lord and go on ever further still."

"The money, the success, those are not the things that constitute the good days. The good days are when you look one another in the eye and each of us knows the other is not going anywhere, and there's no place either of us would rather be. My prayer for you is that God would give you that, and that He would bless you with that, and you would receive it with open arms and you would rejoice in it and you'd speak well of it, and that you'd hold onto it for dear life like it was the most precious thing you'd ever been given...b/c it probably is."

"Biblical love is an act of the will, accompanied by emotion, and leads to action on behalf of its object"

"Sex is like fire. You put fire in a fireplace and it warms the whole room. You let it out of the fireplace, it will consume and destroy everything in its path. It must be in the proper context, and Biblically, the only proper context is marriage."

"Instead of focusing your life on trying to conquer the woman of your dreams, focus on trying to become the man of hers"

"A man MUST lead in love, in the Word, in righteousness, in selflessness, and in intimacy"

"When you spend your life trying to become the man that can lead in love, lead in the Word, lead in righteousness, lead in selflessness, lead in intimacy, and when you're in the word of God and you're being transformed into the image of Christ and you're pursuing Christ's likeness so that you can become this man...who is worthy of a wife, God will give you one."

"God delights in finding men who pursue this picture so that he can say 'Yes, I can trust you with the illustration between my Son and His Church.'"

"More today than yesterday, more tomorrow than today" - Voddie's daily prayer

"God, when there's a disagreement between you and my culture, let God be true and every man a liar"

She MUST be submissive (to the Lord, to her father (parental authority or whatever authority God has placed over them at the time, i.e. elder siblings if the parents are gone), to the Biblical picture of marriage (home is the priority)

Ephesians 5:15-22
3 contrasts:
    1.Don't be unwise, but wise
    2.Don't be foolish, but understand God's will
    3.Don't get drunk, but be filled with the Spirit (a.k.a. yield to the spirit of God, not to
       something else that will control you)
3 commands (as to how to be filled with the Spirit):
    1.Speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing and making
       melody in your heart to the Lord (a.k.a. be a worshipper)
    2.Give thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God, even the
       Father (a.k.a. be prayerfully thankful)
    3.Submit to proper Biblical authority
3 contexts: (as to what the proper Biblical authority is)
    1.Wives to husbands (NOT girlfriends to boyfriends)
    2.Childrens to parents
    3.Servants to masters

Titus 2:4-5
Women should love their husbands, love their children, be sober-minded, chaste, workers at home (a.k.a. NOT that you can't have a job, but that the home must be the priority, see Proverbs 31:10-31), kind, and subject to their husbands

"There is nothing more honorable in this world, nothing more important in this world, nothing more praise-worthy in this world, than a woman who would devote herself to her home, her family, and her children" -- thanks mom...