grand dads.

i was sneaking a break in the afternoon,
and tuned in to the funeral of Dr Goh Keng Swee.
dis sort of broadcast naturally attracts my attention,
maybe coz i like to see how their 'nuggets' of life told.

apart from the detailed and solemn ceremonial rites,
i was looking forward to the eulogies given by the 5.
and among the 5, the speeches from his grandchildren
tugged a lil at my heartstrings.

i was envious of them,
not because of their distinguished birth.
but it was the kindred spirit and great adoration,
they had of their grandfather/granduncle.

and i thought to myself,
"if only i had a grandfather to confide in as well.."
i don't haf the privilege or luxury to haf advices,
or even nags from a grandparent anymore.

maybe that's why i tend to confide in pple,
who are much much older than me.
coz somehow, they seem to haf gotten out of the 'rat race',
and could assure and help me refocus on the big picture..

i wish i had somebody who could influence my thoughts,
advise me on tough decisions i'm laid wif,
telling me history that books couldn't cover,
keeping me in check..

ahh, in such subtle melancholy
i tread back to my books,
only again to find myself drained and alone.
sometimes even lost.

is it again a signal,
that i ought to find a mentor?
i don't know,
but i'll do what i do best. wait.

whirl.

after all these that had happened,
all i know i gotta do now,
right at dis very instant
is to focus on my revision, and focus on God!

why, not what.

ever wondered why Apple is more popular than the rest?
ever wondered why PAP is more popular than the rest?
simply because people buy why they believe,
not what they do.

pple buy what we believe, not what we do.
and if dis motion proposed by simon sinek is valid,
den i'd like to bring it a step further,
and talk abt evangelism..

with reference to the video on ted.com
and facebook notes of pastor aaron,
i'd like to add a few observations
and try to see if dis can change the way some of us think.

sinek talked abt consumerism as a belief identity.
when we (as producers or salesmen) act out what our beliefs are,
pple who believe in the same thing as us,
would naturally be attracted to what we believe and do..

apple, like many other computer organisations
make computers for a living.
but because apple pronounced their beliefs
and why they innovate certain things, hence, the sales.

if the abovementioned hasn't struck any familiar chord,
let me give you the flipside of it.
the other not so popular computer making organisations
advertise what they do, instead of why they do..

so what sinek was trying to put across here is that,
pple do not buy what you do, but why you do them.
viz-a-viz wif pastor aaron's notes on consumerism christianity.
how haf we been evangelizing so far?

just recently, i saw 2 of our youths on fb,
trying to persuade their friend to come for a church camp.
lo and behold, the tactics used were somewhat,
disappointing and i'd say, shallow.

though the intentions were pure and good-willed,
but how they did it, was sad..
are we christians commissioned as salesmen for Christ?
worst, we used worldly temptations to lure pple.

often, we find ourselves subconsciously trying to 'promote' Christ.
going through all the hassle and pains to 'sell' christianity.
sometimes even having to use 'illegitimate' means like,
"there are alot of fun, pretty girls, etc.."

before we're even convinced wif what the bible says,
are we attracted by those worldly attractions?
and if, God forbid, they come for church camp for the wrong reasons,
is it glorifying God?

is God really interested in numbers?
did Jesus use worldly attractions to attract believers?
i would think not.
Jesus basically enunciate WHY He loved us, not what He can do.

if sinek and pastor aaron's observations were proven valid,
den shouldn't we share Christ wif our whys and not whats?
and for that to happen,
we must first ask ourselves why do we believe in Christ.

if we cannot even figure out why we love Christ,
we can forget abt sharing abt Him to our peers..
and for that to happen,
again, it boils down to an authentic r/s wif Christ!

only when we're truly convinced and convicted
that Jesus is the ONLY Way, Truth and the Life,
then only can we be zealous and fervent to share our beliefs
wif others whom we love as well.

and when we share Christ wif them,
we don't tell them what can Christ do for them.
we tell them why Christ died and love them.
coz fundamentally, pple buy why we believe, not what we believe.