Sunday, January 30, 2011

Agora Podcast: Thirsting After God in the Desert

Many times we relate to God in terms of rules and regulations, a list of do’s and don’ts, of duties and obligations. Of course, there is right and wrong and holy commandments that God has given us to keep.

But God’s worth, beauty and manifold excellencies are not glorified by joyless duty, but by our joyful, willing and obedient delight in all that He is. We obey and serve Him because we want to, because we desire to honor and please Him. Not because we grudgingly have to. God loves a cheerful giver. He also loves a cheerful worshipper.

To put it another, our duty is to delight in God. (Psalm 37:4) The Westminster Shorter Catechism would say that the main purpose of our existence is to glorify God and ENJOY Him forever.

Check out the sermon podcast here and let me know what you think.

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Agora Podcast: Pluralism

After the Sept-11 tragedy, the world is engaged in a public debate over the meaning of pluralism and how it relates to civil society. The need is pressing for a dialogue platform for the various religious communities to be able to come together and discuss issues affecting our lives together.

Yet some people are understandably concerned that pluralism as an ideology may confuse or weaken their identity or faith. In this podcast, I discuss briefly how Christians can, at the same time, hold to a conviction in the uniqueness of Christ and yet be eager to participate in respectful dialogues with other faiths without fear or compromise.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Sunday, January 02, 2011

Soul At Work

Hi! How's your work coming along?

Quick. What's the first thought that comes to mind? ___________.


Many people find work to be stressful, busy, tedious, and meaningless. For example:

a) Work = traffic jam, back-to-back meetings, endless projects, office politics, meaningless KPIs.

b) Work = cooking, washing, feeding, keeping the house neat, ferrying the kids to tuition.

c) Work = homework, more stupid homework. And trying to stay awake during boring classes.

Do you hope for meaningful work? Do you think it's possible for your work to help you become more Christ-like in the way you think and act? Do you desire to be more attentive to God's presence while you work? Do you long for Christ's presence? Do you want to take your soul to work?

If you identify with any of the challenges and questions above...

Alvin Ung invites you to attend a three-part series on Taking your Soul to Work. The sermons will be interactive, reflective and practical. Each sermon will feature a 10-minute conversation with a "mystery guest."

Details as follows.
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1: Prayer as Work.
 
Download podcast Prayer as Work

To take our souls to work, we prioritize private prayer as work. Jesus will serve as our mentor in choosing silence and solitude as life became increasingly busy. A lecturer/counselor at a large private university will share her experiences of what led her to spend eight days of silence in prayer -- and why prayer became so important for her as she faced the tyranny of the urgent.

What to expect: we will reflect and seek creative ways to practice prioritizing prayer as work.

2: Praying and Working.
Download podcast Prayer and Work
To take our souls to work, we pray intentionally while we work. The Lord's Prayer will serve as our model and approach in praying regularly throughout the day. A senior business executive at a large corporation will share his experiences of what led him to pray before work, during work and after work -- and why he has found this practice to be so life-giving amid the stresses of daily work.

What to expect: we will reflect and seek creative ways to practice being attentive to God while we work.

3: Work as Prayer
Download podcast Work as Prayer

To take our souls to work, we bring our whole selves to work. The Apostle Paul will serve as our mentor in transforming the fruits of his labor into prayer. A mother, counselor and CEO of a thriving restaurant and boutique business will share her experiences of what led her to place her life and work in God's hands -- to trust that all will be well amid the tough leadership decisions of daily life.

What to expect: we will reflect and seek creative ways to practice becoming 'prayer-full' workers.
Bonus: Download podcast God's Pattern For Work Relationship by Rev Wong Fong Yang as well.