I like to ask the question - "What is the most important asset in your organization?" Regardless of industry or background, the usual reply is "People." Here's my follow-up: "What gives you the biggest headache in your organization?", the response is almost instantaneous - "People!" Managing people is a messy business - when it works, it works really well but when it goes south, well - it can really go bad, real fast. In 1 Samuel 25 to 2 Samuel 18, we enjoy seeing the rise of Saul and later on David, how they move from being the underdog to the position of prominent leadership. However, for both Saul and David, when leaders fall, they really fall - in the words of G.K. Chesterton,  “It is always simple to fall; there are an infinity of angles at which one falls, only one at which one stands." Connecting the dots Personally, I find it a sobering experience reading through 1 and 2 Samuel because there was so much potential for good to happ...

Welcome to the book of Samuel - if ever there was a book in the Bible with contrasting characters with twist and turns in the narrative - this is the book to read! There is such a mixture of emotions when going through 1 Samuel - there is the hopeful prayer of Hannah, the excitement in the rise of Samuel as the prophet of the Lord, the disappointment in the people's request for a king, the expectations for Saul who had a great start but eventually degenerating into a maniac personality, the enthusiasm and victories of young David, the friendships, the betrayals, the list goes on. All fit for primetime TV! Yet, in the midst of this drama, the sovereign hand of Yahweh is weaving the tapestry of His redemptive purpose. I am utterly amazed with the mystery of God's faithfulness and providence such that, despite the ups and downs (on the human level), there is a steadiness to where God is going with His redemptive purpose. All history is moving in the direction of His-Story.  CLICK ...

This is going to be an eventful reading week, a tale of two books which cannot be more different from each other! With the book of Judges, you see "history repeating itself" with cycles of Sin-Slavery-Supplication-Salvation  - it appears that the Israelites do not learn from the lessons of history. Each cycle just went deeper into the throes of depravity. However, it is interesting to note that traditionally the book of Judges is paired together with the book of Ruth, what a start contrast! Instead of a cycle, the history in Ruth is presented linearly, in a straight line pointing to the birth of a significant person. Judges started with the death of Joshua, while Ruth ends with the birth of David. Despite the gory details of Judges and through the glorious drama of Ruth, God providentially works out His purpose in preserving the lineage of the one true King who will eventually rule for all time.  The key to reading Judges and Ruth is to not to read the narrative in hindsight ...

We will be taking a panoramic sweep through three books this week - the closing chapters of Deuteronomy, the whole book of Joshua and the beginning chapters of Judges! You may want to consider listening through these narrative collection using your favorite audio Bible version. Do note that in the Read Scripture program, there is one particular day where you are required to go through 9 chapters (Joshua 13-21) - the advice given is to skim through these chapters as they cover all the geographical details of land allocation for the tribes. It is OK - some parts of the Bible can be read quickly while certain sections require rumination.  Again, do not feel bad if you are lagging in the Read Scripture schedule, just pick up from this week's reading onwards. Remember, we are about progression , not perfection. For a quick overview, CLICK HERE to download the one-page graphical overview of the books of the Bible.  Connect the dots In the closing chapters of Deuteronomy, we disco...

Congratulations for making it through the first five books of the Torah so far! And remember, if you have not been following the Read Scripture program meticulously since January, don't worry about it - just start where we are this coming week. Our focus is on progressing through the Bible this year and not being unduly pressured to be perfect in the reading schedule. The key is progress, not perfection! As we cap off the reading the of the first five books from Genesis to Deuteronomy, I plan to organize an online "fireside chat" event with Pastor John Sittema to discuss on a few possible topics. However, we would like this to be an audience-driven event i.e. we will only organize if there is a demand for it. The demand will be measured by the number of questions we receive arising from your reading schedule thus far (from the Genesis to Deuteronomy). As long as your questions are linked to these books, you can fire away from any angle!  Click here to submit your quest...

Prov 4:23 states - "Keep your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. Despite the first five books of the Bible being full of statutes, ordinances, and God's commandment, this final book of the Torah - Deuteronomy - has a consistent focus on what is internal, not just concerning external conformance but on matters of the heart. In fact, the word heart appears 46 times in the book of Deuteronomy. Furthermore, as this book constitutes Moses' farewell discourse and instructions to the Israelites, the writings reveal a more heartfelt approach - appealing for conviction and not mere conformance. As you read through Numbers 31 to Deuteronomy 12 this week, whenever you come across the word "heart", mark it down. You may be surprised at the highly relational nature of the Torah. Furthermore, there is also a passing on of the leadership mantle from Aaron to Eleazar and from Moses to Joshua. In coming to the end of the 40 wandering wilderness years,...

This section of Numbers is a challenging portion to read - not only in terms of its literary features but also in terms of the literal frustrations depicted! After the year long boot camp at Mount Sinai, you would think that the sons of Israel would be all pumped-up to march on to claim and conquer the promised land but they end up being conquered instead - not by external enemies but by internal opposition . The worst type of threat any leadership can face is that which comes from within because a house divided against itself will not be able to stand (Mark 3:25).  As you read through Numbers 11-30 this week, be on the lookout for the "twin test" of leadership challenges faced by Moses in the form of complaining followers and comparing rivals. You can almost feel Moses being "sandwiched" between the people he leads and the people leading together with him. The burden of leadership was so heavy that Yahweh summoned 70 elders to share this leadership load with Moses...