What Is Easter All About

The Easter weekend is here again. It is a remembrance on Good Friday and a celebration on Easter Sunday for Christians. Easter is another essential occasion for Christians besides Christmas.

Is Easter the prequel or sequel of Christmas? It is the sequel. As Christians, we celebrate the birth of Jesus during Christmas. However during Easter, we remember a pivotal event in the Bible, that is the death and the resurrection of Jesus, God's one and only son. This is the crux of Christianity.

Bad News

We have sinned by rejecting and disobeying God. Mankind has committed various despicable acts such as: 

• Sexual Immorality
• Adultery 
• Debauchery
• Idolatry 
• Obscenity
• Lust
• Envy
• Greed
• Rage 
• Selfish ambitions 

among others. There is no concept of "Small" sins or "Big" sins in God's eyes. All these angered God because God is a holy God and because of His holiness, the punishment for sinners is death.  We are all sinners and imperfect people. There is no one who is perfect and righteous except God. We are made to obey Him but we choose not to because we want to take control of our lives.

Good News

The good news is that God still loves us. He loves us so much that he sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to die on the heavy cross, bearing all our sins. Not only that, he resurrected after 3 days, conquering sin and death. He took the punishment for all our sins although He had no sin and defeated sin and death once and for all after He rose. We do not deserve this but God chooses to save us from our sins. God has forgiven our sins because Jesus has paid the price for each one of us. He does not remember our sins anymore. This is the main focus of Easter and the gist of Christianity as mentioned earlier. This is why the cross is an important element to Christians around the world. It not only reminds us of the suffering that He went through before He was crucified on the cross, but also the power of His resurrection, which results in the victory over sin and death, as well as the forgiveness of our sins.

Note:

There is a misconception that Christians are perfect people. This doesn't mean that Christians do not sin anymore after they believe in God. Our human nature is still to sin. However, as Christians, God gives each one of us the Holy Spirit when we believe and place our trust in Jesus. The Holy Spirit will transform us from inside out, help us to sin less and to love others more as we journey with God. All our character, actions and thoughts will be more and more like Jesus as we grow deeper into our relationship with God. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. This transformation is a gradual process throughout our life as Christians.

That is a summary of what Easter is all about

Here are some songs that we can listen and sing to during Easter:

The True Meaning of Christmas

Hi Everyone,

Christmas is the time where we receive presents especially children. Giving presents itself is not wrong but we also need to remember the real meaning behind Christmas. We need to know why Christians celebrate Christmas.

We celebrate Christmas to welcome the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus was born in a manger through the virgin birth of Mary in Bethlehem about 2015 years ago. The birth of Jesus came through Mary, a virgin who was pledged to be married to Joseph. Before they were married, Mary, a virgin¹, was pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Joseph, who was faithful with the law wanted to divorce her quietly when he heard about her pregnancy as it was shameful  for a lady to be pregnant before marriage. After considering this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him informing him that the baby his wife, Mary is conceiving is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and they are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.^2,3

I became a Christian by trusting Jesus as my God and Saviour during Easter 10 years ago. He is perfect and has no sin yet he bore the burden of our sins and chose to die on the cross for our sins, because of His deep and wide love for us. Jesus, who in very nature God, gave up his rights as God to fulfill the Father's will of saving mankind from sin. We are supposed to be at the cross to receive our punishment yet Jesus took them all. On the third day, He rose from the grave and sit at God's right hand. His resurrection proves that He has conquered sin and death. He died for all our sins regardless of who we are. All our sins are forgiven and we are made right in His eyes. We are saved by grace through our faith in God. He taught us to imitate Him, to be who He wants us to be. As we walk with God, we will bear his likeness and the fruit of the Spirit.

<sup>Below are the references to the birth of Jesus in the Bible. All of the verses are in the New International Version (NIV) translation.

Here are some related Bible verses that describes how God loves us:</sup> 

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, NIV, Bible Gateway)

Romans 5:8-9

⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
 ⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! (Romans 5:8-9, NIV, Bible Gateway)

Ephesians 2:8-9

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.

(Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV, Bible Gateway)

1 John 4:16-19

¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

   God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. ¹⁷ This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

 ¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:16-19, NIV, Bible Gateway)

Galatians 5:22-23

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

(Galatians 5:22-23, NIV, Bible Gateway)

Through our faith in God, we learn to be generous and kind. We are also told to be a cheerful giver. We can give Christmas gifts and yet we also need to remember the birth of our Lord Jesus. We can also remember the needy and help them as well during this period. We can pray for them so that they can find hope and peace with God.

I would like to share some Christmas songs with you this year:

Chris Tomlin - Adore

Chris Tomlin feat. Kristyn Getty - Silent Night

Chris Tomlin - Joy to the World - Unspeakable Joy

Paul Baloche - Hark The Herald Angels Sing



Avalon - We Are The Reason

Christina Perri - Happy Xmas War Is Over

That's all for now. 

Cheers,

Roger Koo

¹ Bible Gateway passage: Luke 1:26-38- New International Version

² Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 1:18-24  - New International Version

³ Bible Gateway passage: Luke 2:1-21  - New International Version

The True Meaning of Easter

Hi Everyone,

What is the meaning of Easter? Does Easter means Easter eggs and bunnies? Easter unfortunately is similar to Christmas where the true meaning of Easter is not known to many. Easter is not about Easter eggs and bunnies and Christmas is not about Christmas trees and gifts. I have written articles on the true meaning of Christmas for the past few years and now it is the same for Easter.

Christians celebrate Easter to remember two significant events that changed the world. These two events are the core foundations of Christianity. These two events are the main focus of the Bible. This is the reason Christians celebrate Easter and Christmas.  

We are sinful people. All of us have sinned against God and no one of us is righteous.

Romans 3:10-11

 10 As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11     there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God.

Accessed on 19th April 2014: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+3&version=NIV 

We are lying to ourselves if we say we have no sin. There is no concept of small sin or big sin in Christianity thus it does not matter in Christianity whether it is a small sin such as telling lies or a big sin such as murder, rape and others. We cannot save ourselves from our sins because we are not perfect. In Romans 6:23, it says the punishment for our sins is death.

Romans 6:23

English Standard Version (ESV)

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Accessed on 19th April 2014: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans+6%3A23&version=ESV 

However, someone did come and save us from our past, present and future sins once for all. He is the only one who is perfect and has no sin. He was sent by God to die on the cross for our sins so that we can have eternal life.  He died on our behalf and this means we do not have to die for our sins.  

John 3:16

English Standard Version (ESV)

For God So Loved the World

16 “For God so loved the world,[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should notperish but have eternal life.

Accessed on 19th April 2014: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+3%3A16&version=ESV 

He not only died for us, but He rose again on the 3rd day and this means that He has conquered sin and death. He has freed us from the bondage of sin. As a response, we want to serve him and become more and more like Him. He is Jesus.

Christians remember Jesus' death on the cross on Good Friday, and then on the third day, that is Easter Sunday, we celebrates his victory our sin and death. His victory means we are freed from the bondage of sin. We know we are not perfect but we know that through the Holy Spirit, we have the hope of becoming more and more like Jesus. We can be better persons throughout our lives.

Christmas trees and gifts together with Easter eggs and business are man-made and meant for commercial success. We can buy Christmas presents and have a reunion or gathering with our relatives and friends but we must know the true meaning of Christmas, that is the birth of Jesus Christ. We must also know that Easter is not about chocolates but about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For Christians, we must be thankful for this wonderful gift of love from God. We remember his death and we celebrate his resurrection during Easter.

Ephesians 2:8-9

New International Version (NIV)

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Accessed on 19th April 2014: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+2%3A8-9&version=NIV

Here are some very good songs that we can listen to during this Easter season:

Behold The Lamb


There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood


We Are The Reason
Although we usually sing this during Christmas, the chorus gives us the reason Jesus came to die on the cross.



Mighty is the Power of the Cross



We can sing this tomorrow:

Come On and Celebrate



Overcome



Cheers,

Roger TJ Koo

Lectio Divina

Hi Everyone,

During my PBC 1st Family Camp that has just been ended on 28th May 2012, the speaker, Pastor Keith Lai taught us a new method to do our quiet reflection.

It is called the Lectio Divina or the Latio Divina method. It is divided into 4 sections.


Listen


For the first part of this method, we need to read aloud a Bible passage twice. For example, Psalm 27:1-8 and Colossians 3:12-15. While these 2 readings are being read, we need to identify the words / phrases / verses that strike us. 




Meditate


It will continue to the 3rd reading before the time of meditation. We will meditate on the words / phrase / verses and ask ourselves these questions below:

1. How is my life touched by the words / phrase / verses?
2. How does the words / phrase / verses  connect or relate to my present situation / circumstances?
3. How does the words / phrase / verses speak to us?

Pray

Next, we will have the 4th reading and this time is to reflect our response to the words / phrase / verses . We need to pray on how do we go about this or how do we take the necessary actions for it.

Contemplate


Finally, we will have the 5th and final reading where we communicate to God directly regarding our present situations that we are in. It involves shifting our attention to God.


It is indeed a good way to meditate on God's word using the Latio Divino method. However, I admit that I have not got the time to use this method yet at the moment. As we use this method more often, it may take a longer time to complete, approximately 45 minutes or more depending on an individual.

Cheers,

Rogerkoo

We Can Satisfy God Only

Hi Everyone,

Have you ever thought of this statement above? There is no way we can satisfy anyone 100% even if we are the best of the best in this world.

God only requires us to please Him and to worship Him. He wants us to have an intimate relationship with him and have fellowship with one another. He wants to win some as well to trust God. He wants us to love one another and love our neighbours as we love ourselves. He wants us to love Him.

In Mark 12:30 (NIV), the verse reads Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

Let's look at it in this way:

In our workplace, when we performed at our best, we still face issues. There are still challenges and issues reported by users. There are still mistakes we make. We can't please everyone. We may have good feedback from people most of the time but there are still imperfection. People may us give us good feedback but there are others who do not. However, we please God when we do our best at work with a sincere and responsible heart. Sometimes, we may make decisions that do not please everyone. It may be very difficult to do so.

We thought we have done something right but it may not be appreciated by others. We may say things we think will encourage others but it can happen the other way around. Different peole react differently to certain things that we say or how we say it. It may be encouraging to some and insulting to the other.

We can't please everyone. Look at the world around us. We can decide what car to buy whether it is local cars (Proton, Perodua) or foreign cars (Toyota, Honda, Mercedes, BMW, Kia, Hyundai etc). The car is good and yet sometimes the car have defects. Others may not get it but it happens to us. For example, my Persona is still in good condition after two years but for some of us, this may not be the case at all. Mercedes produce good cars but some of it still have problems and it is expensive.

Not everyone likes to eat petai due to its pungent smell. I have tried it before but I avoided it now. Durian is the king of fruits and not everyone likes the smell and the taste of durian. Some people prefer Apple products than Android and vice versa. There are always critics of everything. A product or food may be manufactured / cooked to look nice and beautiful but not everyone will be satisfied with it.

It also happens with reality TV shows such as American Idol and Akademi Fantasia. A singer can sing very well at the show and yet if he or she is not popular enough, he or she will get voted out immediately. It is all very subjective. Everyone has different tastes of music. I have one friend who likes heavy metal songs but not for me.

Sometimes we make mistakes on the road as well. There are blind spots and we are not alert enough. It can surprise us. It may appear to us when we don't expect it to happen.

Therefore, as Christians, we should please God in everything that we do. Sometimes, we may be in the background and not be rewarded at all. We need to remember that in the end, we need to store up treasures in heaven. Rewards on Earth is only temporary. We need to do our best in our everyday life whether in career, spiritual life, friends and family. We can be a good testimony and witness to others by praying. We can change our mindset to do everything for the glory of God.

Cheers,

Rogerkoo

I am a Nobody but a Nobody can be a Somebody. Somebody can be a Nobody or remain as Somebody

Hi Everyone,

We are Nobodies in the world that we live in. We are just ordinary citizens. However, we can choose to make a difference in our lives and in the world. We can be Somebodies.

Regardless of our status and beliefs, we can be someone who can make a difference in the society whether it is at home, at work, at our country or at other countries as well. As Christians, we are called to serve God wholeheartedly. Atheists or freethinkers by conscience also know that helping others is good.

Being a Somebody does not mean that we are to be recognised by others. Sometimes, our service to the community or to the church are not recognised, meaning our work are actually in the background. We are not in the limelight. 

Here are some examples that we can be Somebody: 

1. Perform our best at work

  - IT Sector: Successful projects, webistes, perform our job well, meets the requirements of users

  - Doctors and Nurses: Serving the community by healing their illnesses, simple or more serious without giving a lot of thought on money

  - Cleaners: Keeping our country clean. Includes rubbish collectors and toilet cleaners

  - Governments: Serve the people well in terms of a country's economy, education, transportation, law and other matters

2. Environment / Mother Nature

  - Saving electricity by using energy saving light bulbs and energy efficient electrical items

  - Recycling, reducing water consumption

  - Buying hybrid / environmentally friendly cars

  - Participate in a tree planting exercise

3. Helping the community

  - Volunteer ourselves to serve in charity / medical organisations and associations such as Makna, old folks home, orphanges, the poor, HIV patients 

  - Gotong royong

As mentioned above, Somebody can be a Somebody or a Nobody. What does this mean is that we may not be appreciated for what we are doing or we choose not to use it to gain popularity or fame. We should remain anonymous when we help others. 

¹ “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

   ² “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:1-3&version=NIV)

 

One example is Mother Teresa who helped the poor and the needy in South or East Asia1. She did it with humility and without attracting attention to her. She remained low profile until her later years where she has some criticisms. She was also awarded a Nobel Price back in 1979^1,2.

We do not need to tell the whole world that we have done something remarkable. We can do it in the background. We need to be humble and help the needy wholeheartedly instead of helping out of insincere intentions. We can also pray for them as well.

That's about it. Not sure if I am to discuss this again in the future.

¹ Mother Teresa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Teresa
Accessed: 15th January 2012


² Mother Teresa - Biography
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1979/teresa-bio.html

Accessed: 15th January 2012

Cheers,

Rogerkoo

The Meaning of Christmas

Hi All,

Below is a video of the song, We Are The Reason by Avalon:

The chorus is this:

We are the reason that He gave His life

We are the reason that He suffered and died

To a world that was lost, He gave all He could give

To show us the reason to live

Christmas is the time where we receive a lot of presents especially children. Giving itself is not wrong but we also need to remember the real meaning behind Christmas. We need to know why Christians celebrate Christmas.

We celebrate Christmas to welcome the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus was borned in a manger through the Holy Spirit. The birth of Jesus came to Joseph and Mary who were pledged to be married. Before they were married, Mary, a virgin¹, was pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Joseph who was faithful with the law wanted to divorce her quietly where he heard about her pregnancy. After considering this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him saying that his wife, Mary what she conceives is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.<sup>2,3
Below are the references to the Birth of Jesus in the Bible. All of the verses are in the New International Version (NIV) translation.

I believe Jesus as my Lord and Saviour because God sent Him to die on the cross for our sins. He is perfect, then took all of sins and died on the cross for our sins because of His love for us. We are supposed to be at the cross and yet, Jesus took them all. On the third day, He rose from the grave to sit at God's right hand. His resurrection proves that He has conquered sin and death. He died for all our sins regardless of who we are. All our sins are forgiven and we are made right in His eyes. We are saved by grace through our faith in God. He thought us to imitate Him, to be who He wants us to be. As we walk with God, we will bear his likeness and the fruit of the Spirit.

Here are some related Bible verses that describes how God loves us:</sup> 

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, NIV, Bible Gateway)

Romans 5:8-9

⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
 ⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! (Romans 5:8-9, NIV, Bible Gateway)

Ephesians 2:8-9

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.
(Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV, Bible Gateway)

1 John 4:16-19

¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
   God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. ¹⁷ This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
 ¹⁹ We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:16-19, NIV, Bible Gateway)

Galatians 5:22-23
²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 
(Galatians 5:22-23, NIV, Bible Gateway)

Through our faith in God, we learnt to be generous and kind. We also told to be a cheerful giver. We can give Christmas gifts and yet we also need to remember the Birth of our Lord Jesus. We can also remember the needy and help them as well during this period. We can pray for them so that they can find hope and peace with God.

That's all for now. 

Cheers,

Rogerkoo

¹ Bible Gateway passage: Luke 1:26-27 - New International Version

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%201:26-27&version=NIV

² Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 1:24  - New International Version

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%201:18-24&version=NIV

³ Bible Gateway passage: Luke 2:1-21  - New International Version

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%202:1-21&version=NIV

Vacation Bible School (VBS) 2011: Big Apple Adventure

Hi Everyone,

I know it is a little late but I didn't have the time to post it a few weeks ago.

Guess what, this is my first year volunteering for VBS! It has always been seemed like fun when it comes to VBS. Therefore, I took the opportunity to volunteer for VBS 2011 this year at my church, Pantai Baptist, PJ. 

The theme is Big Apple Adventure! I was assigned to be an assistant teacher for Std 3 and Std 4 students. Our class is called FDNY Reds. The main teacher was Chee Meng. The other teachers were Kevin Thomas and Kitty Foo. In a group of 4, we took turns to teach and went through all the rotation with the students. I taught them on trust (Day 3). This topic is based on John's gospel, Chapter 3, verses 1-19. It tells us how Nicodemus who is a Pharisee and trusted Jesus. He knows that Jesus can perform all the miracles and healing because He comes from God. He wanted to know more about 

John 3:16 was the memory verse of the day. ¹⁶ "For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:16&version=HCSB).

We had 21 students in total comprising 13 girls and 8 boys. 4 of them are from Precious Homes PJ. They are the children of drug addicts. Initially, the boys were always crowding with me. Some of them took some time to warm up to us. By the 3rd day, all of them have warmed to us. One of them was thankful that she gave Chee Meng and myself stickers on our name tags. She stuck them herself. 

It has been a good experience for this is my first time teaching Std 3 and Std 4 children about God. I learnt that we also need to always look out for them as well and to make sure that they do not disrupt the class. We also needed make the lessons more fun so that their attention lifespan can be maintained.

I would like to thank Chee Meng, Kevin and Kitty for supporting me throughout the VBS. Kitty and I are first timers in VBS. Thank you to Chee Meng and Kevin for supporting us and gave guidance on how to teach them and pay attention to them.

Serving God always feels good. I had a great time there. It is worth it although it is tiring. I will recommend you to come join us next year. The songs are good too.

Below are the pictures and my tag during VBS Big Apple Adventure this year:

VBS 2011:  Big Apple Adventure - FDNY Reds

VBS 2011: FDNY Reds Name Tag

Cheers,

Rogerkoo

What Happened To Our Moral Values? (Part 2)

Hi Everyone,

What does corruption and graft have in common? It happened to countries all around the world. It involves politicians! Politicians are meant serve the people, implement policies / laws that benefits all people and develop the country. Yet, we heard of governments officials being involved in corruption.


More common in Malaysia, there were a lot of baby dumping cases. Most likely this is due to under aged sex or unlawful marriages or just sexual immorality. They are then desperate enough to dump the baby instead of putting into adoption.

Corruption

Transparency International (TI) is the global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption. Set up in 1993, TI played a lead role in improving the lives of millions in the world by building momentum for the anti corruption movement.1


We have heard of corruption cases happening in these parts of the world that include Somalia, Haiti, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Sudan, Bangladesh and our own country, Malaysia. TI has been monitoring corruption through the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) rankings, the latest being updated on 26th October 2010. The CPI ranks almost 200 countries by their perceived levels of corruption (0-10), as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys.2 The higher the perceived levels are, the cleaner the country is.


Based on the latest CPI, Malaysia is ranked 56 out of 178 countries with a perception index of 4.4. Singapore, our neighbour is at the top of the list, sharing the honours with Denmark and New Zealand with an index of 9.3. Brunei is also better than us, having obtained the rank of 38 with the index of 5.5.3 In fact, I just did a Google Search with the keyword, corruption, Malaysia is found in the 7th, 8th, 9th and 11th search items. ⁴


Well, our country does have numerous corruption cases throughout all these years. We have the Port Klang Free Trade Zone (PKFZ) scandal a few years back. The trials are still running now.^5,6,7


With the Audtior-General's 2010 Report, it is found that the Marine Park's department has paid RM11,800 for RM3,400 laptop and a printer. There might be some things going on here as well. The department did not check the retail price of these items before agreeing.8


Corruption does not only present in Malaysia, but also in other countries as well especially African countries. According to the latest Corruption Perception Index 2011⁹, Somalia, Sudan and Haiti are ranked 182th (the lowest), 177th and 175th respectively. Somalia is the most corrupt country of all. Please also check out the 10 most corrupt countries in the world as reported by Business Insider¹⁰. The rankings here are based on the CPI.


The most corrupt country for the 5th year running, Somalia's leaders are still the most corrupt. They have set up refugee camps in order to divert food donations that they will then steal and sell them on the black market. There is also a religious group that bans aid agencies such as UNICEF and WHO to provide supply to almost 160,000 malnourished children.¹¹ I do not know why on earth do they want to do this. All the children are precious people. 


Also ranked the same with Somalia is the country of North Korea. We can see North Koreans fleeing into Korea and China.¹² The corruption in North Korea includes nepotism and bribery being accepted by government officials. Some of the companies in North Korea are owned by the president's relatives¹³.


May we continue to keep praying for all of these countries, including those not mentioned here so that there will be clean governments in the world. Government leaders should seek to implement policies that benefits the people and meet the needs of people impartially.


There are a lot of issues on corruption. I may want to split this into two or three posts depending on my content. As for now, it covers three countries. These series on moral issues would be quite long. Therefore, I would split these into several blog posts instead. The next one will be on rape or sexual immorality.

Cheers,


Rogerkoo


¹ Transparency International: About Us

http://www.transparency.org/about_us

Accessed: 26th October 2011

² Transparency International: Policy Research: Survey Indices - CPI

http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi

Accessed: 26th October 2011

³ Transparency International: Corruption Perceptions Index 2010 Results

http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2010/results

Accessed: 26th October 2011

⁴ Google Search: Corruption

http://www.google.com.my/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ie=UTF-8&ion=1&nord=1#hl=en&sugexp=kjrmc&cp=6&gs_id=6&xhr=t&q=Corruption&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&nord=1&site=webhp&source=hp&pbx=1&oq=Corrup&aq=0&aqi=g4&aql=f&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=3829c9d23f3c3799&biw=1366&bih=624&ion=1

Accessed: 26th October 2011

⁵ Timeline: The PKFZ scandal

http://www.mysinchew.com/node/32668

Accessed: 26th October 2011


⁶ Lessons from PKFZ
http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?file=/2009/9/4/columnists/questiontime/4648239&sec=questiontime
Accessed: 26th October 2011


⁷ No complaint of Dr Ling lying in PKFZ project, says former minister
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/10/14/nation/20111014172809&sec=nation
Accessed: 26th October 2011


⁸ Dept paid RM11,800 for RM3,400 laptop and printer
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/10/25/nation/9766843&sec=nation
Accessed: 26th October 2011

⁹ Transparency International: Corruption Perceptions Index 2011 Results

http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2011/results/#CountryResults

Accessed: 10th December 2011

¹⁰ The 10 Most Corrupt Countries In The World

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-10-most-corrupt-countries-in-the-world-2011-12#

Accessed: 10th December 2011

¹¹ Al-Shabaab bans aid agencies in Somalia and raids offices

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/28/al-shabaab-bans-aid-agencies-somalia

Accessed: 10th December 2011

¹² Somalia Tops Most Corrupt Countries List For Fifth Year

http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2011/12/01/somalia-tops-most-corrupt-countries-list-for-fifth-year/

Accessed: 10th December 2011

¹³ 8th IACC: Corruption in South and North Korea

http://8iacc.org/papers/yjkim.html

Accessed: 10th December 2011

What Happened To Our Moral Values? (Part 1)

Hi Everyone,

What has happened in our world today? Some of us think that we can get away with something that we have done but later it is found out. This happened especially with celebrities. Do celebrities really thought that they can do anything that they want and they can escape with it? Offenders include commoners, politicians and celebrities.

Moral Values

Are we losing our values? From sex scandals to corruption,murder, drugs trafficking and human trafficking what has happened in the world? There is so much sin. We can also that greed controls people. People are willing to do anything just to get money even resulting to unlawful practices. It may also result in murder. We can see that people are able to manipulate others or use others without the other party knowing it just to gain extra money. There can be a lot of cover-ups to prevent their doings from getting known. We need to learn to be content with what we have.

Celebrities


Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears


Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears have been at their prime but they lost it. There were a lot of news of both of them when they were facing troubles previously and now too especially for Lindsay. 


Known for her movies such as Parent Trap and Freaky Friday, Lindsay Lohan is also involved in alcohol abuse and drug abuse^1,2. She was arrested numerous times for different incidents committed including driving with high alcohol content and stealing. She was also admitted into a rehab numerous times. Recently, she was arrested for theft and sentenced to jail and 480 hours of community service. She also violated it³. She still has not face her issues yet at the moment.


Britney Spears also had a mental breakdown after she had success in her music career. After she was married to Kevin Federline few years back in 2008, she locked herself in with her son, Jared. She was also found to be under the influence of an unknown substance. She refused to handover her children to Kevin's bodyguards who had court order. She was hospitalised after that and classified as 'special needs patient' because she may have tendencies to commit suicide and may have a mental issue.⁴ She also went bald once after her rehabilitation. There were reports that she were having troubles reconciling her superstar persona with her already damaged self. This was in 2007.  Britney Spears has seen proceed on with her life this year with her Femme Fatale album launch and tour this year⁵.


Charlie Sheen


Charlie Sheen is another celebrity that has problems in his life. He still went wild after his divorce with Denise Richards. While Denise Richards has proceed with her life and also her family and children, Charlie is still making headlines for the wrong reasons.


He was arrested for domestic violence in 2009. He was charged for second degree assault and menacing, both felonies, and criminal mischief and a misdemeanor.^6,7,8


This year, he was fired from the hit show, Two and a Half Men because of his involvements in domestic violence and alcoholic tendencies8. The lead actor is replaced with Ashton Kutcher now. However, the dispute against Warner Bros is settled now.^9,10

Sports

Tiger Woods^11,12, the greatest golfer in the world, was an example of this. After the accident two years ago, rumors began to circulate about him cheating on his wife. He later admitted to have relationships with other women / girls before and during his marriage. About 10 of them. Just one blink of an eye, from being one of the role models in the sporting world, he has found himself a new fame, his sex scandal. Who would imagine that to happen? In the end, he did not manage to maintain his good image.


Drugs / performance enhancers are used in sports to enhance sportsmen and sportswomen as well. Although most sportsmen / sportswomen did not use them, there are some who used them to enhance their performance. Doing this will give them an unfair advantage to them. Andre Agassi, last year admitted that took crystal meth and he lied during his doping test so that he could avoid a ban in tennis competitions¹³.  Well, Andre Agassi was brave enough to admit it. Michael Phelps also apologised to the swimming federation and to his fans when he was caught smoking marijuana in a photograph. It is not to enhance his performance but rather to have a feeling of "High"¹⁴.


Drunkenness


People nowadays also like to get drunk. It is very common no matter where we are in our working lives whether we are normal employees  or project managers. A number of us will drink until they are drunk and they will be satisfied. Next day, they will be back to normal. Drinking are allowed in Christianity but drunkenness is prohibited.


That's all for now. Part 2 may cover corruption and graft allegations, baby dumping and other things.


Cheers,


Rogerkoo


¹ Lindsay Lohan's circle fears for her life - Celebrity Gossip - Entertainment News - Arts and Entertainment - Fox.com

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,290653,00.html

Accessed: 20th October 2011


² Cops: Drug Found After Lohan Crash
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/27/entertainment/main2856359.shtml
Accessed: 22nd October 2011

³ BBC - Newsbeat - Lindsay Lohan handcuffed in LA court probation hearing

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/15381507

Accessed: 22nd October 2011

⁴ Britney Spears Hospitalized After Refusing To Turn Over Kids
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1578990/britney-spears-hospitalized-after-domestic-incident.jhtml
Accessed: 22nd October 2011

⁵ Britney Spears' Femme Fatale Is Her 'Strongest Album,' Critics Say

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1660881/britney-spears-femme-fetale-critics.jhtml

Accessed: 22nd October 2011

⁶ Charlie Sheen arrested in domestic dispute, police say

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-12-25/entertainment/charlie.sheen.arrested_1_actor-charlie-sheen-aspen-police-pitkin-county-jail?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ

Accessed: 22nd October 2011

⁷ Charlie Sheen arrested after domestic violence claims

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8430737.stm

Accessed: 22nd October 2011


⁸ 'Two and a Half Men' studio fires Charlie Sheen
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41955659/ns/today-entertainment/t/two-half-men-studio-fires-charlie-sheen/#.TqLcAt7iG2s

⁹ Charlie Sheen Settles $100 Million 'Two And A Half Men' Suit
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1671576/charlie-sheen-lawsuit-two-and-a-half-men.jhtml
Accessed: 26th October 2011


¹⁰ Charlie Sheen settles lawsuit over "Men" firing
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/26/us-charliesheen-idUSTRE78P67J20110926
Accessed: 26th October 2011

¹¹ Brief History of the Tiger Woods Scandal - Photo Essays - TIME

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1966486,00.html

Accessed: 20th October 2011

¹²  Special Feature: Timeline of  Tiger's sex scandal - Golf - NBC Sports
http://www.nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/34969596
Accessed: 20th October 2011


¹³  Andre Agassi book says he used crystal meth - ESPN
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=4600027
Accessed: 22nd October 2011

¹⁴  BBC NEWS | Americas | Swimmer Phelps Regrets Pot Pipe
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7864011.stm
Accessed: 22nd October 2011