Been awhile since i last updated my blog. Chinese New Year came and went, in a flash. I went for the second interview and I am still waiting for AMK family centre to call me...hopefully. Since that interview, i have been incessantly checking my emails and phone. Many thoughts came to my mind. Many what ifs. What if i didn't do well in the interview, what if they didn't like me that day. What if I wore the wrong set of clothes. What if I was too honest. What if I was too nervous. What ifs. What ifs.
I dislike myself for being so nervous waiting. I had prayed that God will open doors if He deemed fit. Close doors if it is not the one. I should surrender the results to Him, instead of wondering everyday. 15 March is the deadline to get hired by one of these organisations before I can proceed to submit my application to study in UNISIM. Despte the anxiety, I know that this is an added bonus in my life. Since if Yan hasn't let me know about the whole programme but cutting that newspaper clip, I wouldn't have went through the whole process since last Nov. So life is still great technically speaking. Continue to work, get paid, live the life that i have already became so familiar and accustomed to. Try to have another baby.
The only difference is, my heart has changed. Period.
I no longer see anyone in this company as people I have worked together with for almost 8 years as "families". In fact i seemed to have grown detached from many people by choice. It is almost like i no longer see a need to even just smile and say hi. Even to people in the same department. Screw formalities. I'm not sure if I'm being a prick and rude but I'm certainly following my heart. I find all these yakking among colleagues so meaningless. I really can't find any reason why I should bother to make small talk at all. Not one single reason, most practical reason i can think of is because i should try not to be rude. Hence smile and talk. How's the weather, how are you, nice dress, great hair, nice watch blah blah blah. But the thought of it makes me tired already.
Good night world. Tomorrow, life goes on, thank You God for keeping me and my family alive. :)
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Monday, February 2, 2015
2 February, 2015 - The very important interview
Today is it. If I'm successful in securing a second interview after this first round, it would be another milestone. Very nervous but more excited. If this is the plan for me, God will be with me and open doors. If it is not, He will also be there to guide me, and it would be an experience I treasure.
A social worker is something that is so different from my past work experiences. But when i think of the path that i want to embark on, it makes me feel alive and gives work a new meaning.
Jfk and me took leave today and while i am preparing for what to expect later, i pray also that everything will be fine. He will be sending me there, bless this man :)
Dear God,
I ask for peace, wisdom and strength to handle whatever comes my way. Please guide me to make the right choices, choices that are in accordance with Your plans for me. I surrender all to You, Amen.
A social worker is something that is so different from my past work experiences. But when i think of the path that i want to embark on, it makes me feel alive and gives work a new meaning.
Jfk and me took leave today and while i am preparing for what to expect later, i pray also that everything will be fine. He will be sending me there, bless this man :)
Dear God,
I ask for peace, wisdom and strength to handle whatever comes my way. Please guide me to make the right choices, choices that are in accordance with Your plans for me. I surrender all to You, Amen.
Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Friday, January 23, 2015
22 January, 2015 - Emotional Weaklings
I often wonder why are some people so weak emotionally. Why is there a need to feel insecure, be overtly sensitive, be whiners, attention seeking, often putting others down etc
By being over sensitive in a bad way LEADS TO -> suspicious of everyone -> very insecure -> put others down OR whine/complain/sulk/wallow in self pity THEN -> seek attention to validate own existence again and again. And again. And again. So bloody irritating isn't it??
Just saying.
All of us are a bit of everything but when these traits are not under control and we don't learn how to deal with it, our negative emotions spiral out of control and we become slaves to our own negativities. And of cos that will inconvenience the people around us by creating emotional stress. These people are equally as toxic as poisonous gas.
(Thank you Edwin haha for planting this equation in my head. One day, there will be a right time to share with u-know-who to officially seek psychiatric help)
While searching for "how to deal with emotionally weak people", I found the below article instead. And i "LIKE"
By being over sensitive in a bad way LEADS TO -> suspicious of everyone -> very insecure -> put others down OR whine/complain/sulk/wallow in self pity THEN -> seek attention to validate own existence again and again. And again. And again. So bloody irritating isn't it??
Just saying.
All of us are a bit of everything but when these traits are not under control and we don't learn how to deal with it, our negative emotions spiral out of control and we become slaves to our own negativities. And of cos that will inconvenience the people around us by creating emotional stress. These people are equally as toxic as poisonous gas.
(Thank you Edwin haha for planting this equation in my head. One day, there will be a right time to share with u-know-who to officially seek psychiatric help)
While searching for "how to deal with emotionally weak people", I found the below article instead. And i "LIKE"
Here are some things emotionally strong people don’t do:
- They don’t let negativity and drama get the best of them. – Your brain is a radio transmitter. It broadcasts thoughts, directions and vibrations into your life – you get to choose the station it’s tuned to. Emotionally strong people understand this and tune out negativity to make room for positivity. Be wise enough to follow in their footsteps. Walk away from the nonsense around you. Focus on the positives, and soon the negatives will be harder to see.
- They don’t waste time feeling sorry for themselves. – Emotionally strong people don’t sit around feeling sorry about their circumstances or how others have treated them. Instead, they take responsibility for their role in life, work on changing what can be changed, and keep in mind that life isn’t always easy or fair. In the end, happiness is not the absence of problems, but simply the ability to deal well with them. So look at what you have, instead of what you have lost. Because it’s not what the world takes away from you that counts; it’s what you do with what you have left.
- They don’t think they need more to be happy. – Emotionally strong people know that happiness is a mindset of appreciation. In other words, happiness doesn’t start when “this, that or the other thing” is resolved. Happiness is what happens now when you appreciate what you have.
- They don’t compare their journey to everyone else’s. – Social comparison is the thief of happiness. Do YOUR best and don’t compare your progress with that of others. They aren’t YOU. We all need our own time to travel our own distance. Emotionally strong people know this is the truth, and they live by it.
- They don’t envy and resent other people’s success. – Emotionally strong people can genuinely appreciate and celebrate other people’s success. They don’t grow envious or feel cheated when others achieve something they are trying to achieve. Instead, they recognize that success comes with hard work, and they are willing to work hard for their own chance at success. True confidence has no room for envy and resentment. When you know you are great, you have no reason to hate.
- They don’t expect everything to be easy. – Emotionally strong people don’t view failures and delays as reasons to give up. Instead, they use failure as an opportunity to grow and improve. They are willing to keep trying until they get it right. Whether they are working on improving their health or getting a new business off the ground, emotionally strong people don’t expect immediate results. Instead, they apply their efforts and skills to the best of their ability and understand that real change takes time.
- They don’t say, “I can’t.” – As Henry Ford put it, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.” Emotionally strong people know this is true. If you really want to do something, you can and you will find a way. If you don’t, you will surely find a long list of excuses. So stop saying “I wish” and start saying “I will.” Turn your “can’ts” into “cans” and your dreams into plans.
- They don’t let fleeting temptations distract them from their dreams. – Don’t let the temptations of today distract you from what you deserve. Stay emotionally strong. Do what you have to do now so you can do what you want to do later.
- They don’t get impatient and settle. – Good things don’t come to those who wait. Good things come to those who are patient… while working hard for what they want most in life. If you know what you want, if you can see it, feel it and move toward it in some small way every single day… it has to happen. Be patient and keep working. That’s what emotionally strong people do.
- They don’t make the same exact mistakes over and over again. – You can’t make the same mistake twice. Because the second time you make it, it’s no longer a mistake, it’s a choice. Emotionally strong people accept responsibility for their behavior and learn from their past mistakes. As a result, they don’t keep repeating the same mistakes over and over. Instead, they grow and move on to better decisions and new lessons.
- They don’t resist change. – Emotionally strong people don’t try to avoid change. Instead, they welcome positive change into their life and are willing to be flexible. They understand that change is inevitable and believe in their abilities to adapt. Change happens for a reason. Roll with it! It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.
- They don’t waste time and energy on things they can’t control. – You won’t hear an emotionally strong person complaining over traffic jams and rainy days. Instead, they focus on what they can control in their lives. And above all, they recognize that sometimes the only thing they can control is their attitude. After all, inner peace begins the moment you choose not to allow an uncontrollable event or person to control your emotions.
- They don’t hang on every word other people say about them. – Emotionally strong people listen to their own heart and intuition, not the peanut gallery. So try not to take things other people say about you too personally. What they think and say is a reflection of them, not you. Ultimately, you can’t change how people treat you or what they say about you. All you can do is change how you react and who you choose to be around.
- They don’t think everyone is out to get them. – Emotionally strong people choose to see the good in others. Because the truth is, the world is full of good people. Whoever says otherwise hasn’t looked around. So look around. Appreciate them. Connect and smile together. When you choose to see the good in others, you end up finding the good in yourself.
- They don’t worry about pleasing everyone. – Emotionally strong people recognize that they don’t need to please everyone all the time. They’re not afraid to say no or speak up when necessary. They strive to be compassionate and fair, but can handle other people being disappointed if they didn’t perfectly live up to their unfair expectations. The bottom line is, pleasing everyone is impossible. May the bridges you burn light your way.
- They don’t think it’s too late to start over. – Let go of the idea that it’s too late to start over. Remember, it’s always better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb than the top of the one you don’t… even if it means beginning anew. Just because some things didn’t work out as you had expected, or didn’t happen as fast as you thought they would, is no excuse to give up on yourself. Time passes one way or the other. Do what you need to do so that, at the very least, you can look back someday and say, “I gave life my best shot.”
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
20 January, 2015 - NCSS's email
I was checking my emails this morning and got a pleasant surprise, NCSS has written to inform me that I am invited to attend a networking session with employers on the 2nd Feb, Monday. I am very happy to receive this email because it means another step forward.. even if it is a very small step with no guaranteed success. I submitted my application of interest last December right after i attended the conference for a mid career switch to be a social worker. "Just do your part, God will do the rest." they say. "He will open doors if it is His plan and close all doors not meant to be." I leave all in His hands while i dutifully replied the email to confirm my attendance and also completed another round of survey tonight.
My mum asked if I have the interest to be a social worker and i replied her that it's no longer if I'm interested but doing what God wants me to do. Though i admit that i still have my doubts and uncertainties if this is really from God or something that is in my face so much so that i began to think it's a calling. But regardless of this doubt, dear God, please open or close doors or if it's a wait, i will wait.
Random thoughts...
Putting Samuel in this childcare is one of the best decision i have made for him as I watched him grow smarter and more outspoken day by day. Yet, it is also like a double edge sword.. Sometimes i'm wrecked with guilt for not being able too stay home for Samuel and spend more time with him. Something that my mum could not do for us when we were young because she needs to work. And the thought of putting him in a student care in future makes me feel like a lousy mother. It feels like depositing my only child in a faraway place from home to be taken care of by strangers. Anyway, i guess i will worry about that bit when the time comes..
Death.. the pain of dealing with the loss if a loved one can be overwhelming..so much so that even breathing seemed laboured.
Life is so short, there are so many "what-ifs", "i wish", "if only" etc. We only live once and we should really live life with gratitude everyday. Less grumblings, less unhappiness but more tolerance, more appreciation, more love, more forgiveness and more positive thinking. For all the bad things that happened and all the mean people that we meet, there are always the wonderful events and people around us. What won't kill us can only make us stronger.
Joshua and Matthew, are you with grandpa in heaven? Is heaven for real?
Seek, Ask, Pray Amen
My mum asked if I have the interest to be a social worker and i replied her that it's no longer if I'm interested but doing what God wants me to do. Though i admit that i still have my doubts and uncertainties if this is really from God or something that is in my face so much so that i began to think it's a calling. But regardless of this doubt, dear God, please open or close doors or if it's a wait, i will wait.
Random thoughts...
Putting Samuel in this childcare is one of the best decision i have made for him as I watched him grow smarter and more outspoken day by day. Yet, it is also like a double edge sword.. Sometimes i'm wrecked with guilt for not being able too stay home for Samuel and spend more time with him. Something that my mum could not do for us when we were young because she needs to work. And the thought of putting him in a student care in future makes me feel like a lousy mother. It feels like depositing my only child in a faraway place from home to be taken care of by strangers. Anyway, i guess i will worry about that bit when the time comes..
Death.. the pain of dealing with the loss if a loved one can be overwhelming..so much so that even breathing seemed laboured.
Life is so short, there are so many "what-ifs", "i wish", "if only" etc. We only live once and we should really live life with gratitude everyday. Less grumblings, less unhappiness but more tolerance, more appreciation, more love, more forgiveness and more positive thinking. For all the bad things that happened and all the mean people that we meet, there are always the wonderful events and people around us. What won't kill us can only make us stronger.
Joshua and Matthew, are you with grandpa in heaven? Is heaven for real?
Seek, Ask, Pray Amen
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
13 January, 2015 - Don't call me poor
I saw this documentary < Don't call me poor > on Channel News Asia yesterday evening and i feel sad that in such an affluent country like Singapore, so many people actually starve and do not have a place to stay. How is that possible, i asked myself. What happened to them while Singapore was growing economically and holistically? Why didn't they pick up any of the benefits of a growing country?
Was in lack of education? Lack of information? Lack of a head start in life perhaps.
I noticed a similarity in the people being interviewed for this program. Simple minded. How can you decide to have three kids when you are living in poverty in rented one room flat, with the third child being an "accident" one. The mother chose to work as a cashier in a fast food chain because it allows her the flexibility to fetch her youngest son from a neighbourhood childcare. The other two elder daughters are in a primary school, suffering from lack of many things, in her own words. How, then can she allow this "accident" to happen? Knowing that she can ill afford another child, why bring another one to this world to suffer together? The father gave some crap excuse that he cannot go to work due to high blood pressure. Hello?? I have high blood and I'm working my ass off. He mentioned that he got high blood pressure from stress, poor diet of unhealthy food and lack of exercise. Yes, he is fat and I'm surprised he is fat, given the family's situation. Has he been eating the food supply of the whole family?? Anyway, he said he could easily earn $2000 a month as a restaurant manager but he chose not to, because "it would not be nice for me to take MC due to health." The journalist asked him if he would consider exercising or changing his diet to be healthier so that he could go get a decent job. Answer from him was "No, to difficult, so many years already, very hard to change." The family of five survive on a meagre monthly income of $700 from the mother's pay. Sorry i shouldn't be judging...but what a shithead!
Another uncle..he has no money at all, not even money in his MRT card. And he can't get money from his children because they are also not doing well. So i conclude that if you have a chid and you fail to provide education and proper upbringing to the child, he/she will grow up and suffer one way or another. If you are poor, you can at least teach the child tenacity and determination, and filial piety. So that no matter how hard life is, they will never abandon you the parents. And they will find a way to survive because they are tenacious. I cannot help but wonder what kind of a dad he had been when his kids were young. Why are his children treating him, their dad, so coldly.. what happened to filial piety?
By head start in life, i meant education. I truly believe that education breaks the cycle of poverty. It is a vicious cycle. Education trains the mind to think, and armed with a cert/diploma/degree/masters and whatever else there is, doors of opportunities are aplenty. Or at the very least, it helps one to make informed choices in life.
Life is a complicated journey full of choices and happenings. I should not make sweeping remarks. The above are just my personal opinions..raw and all. Haven't really thought about these issues in depth..but i really cannot help being angry at stupidity and ignorance.
If I'm the social worker assigned to the fat man, i will be very firm and insistent that he change. Either he change and make life better for him and his family OR he just continue to rot HIMSELF. I think I will just focus on helping the kids. I'm not sure if this is right though. But the equation seems to me like that. If he asked for social assistance and advice, he will get it and he should work harder to help others to help himself. If he choose to complain about life being unfair day after day, he can go screw himself.
God, i'm not sure why did you ask me to take up this calling.. the social workers that i met during the convention were all gentle, soft spoken and i guess very, very patient. I can be bitchy at times..not forgetting to mention vindictive too..and I'm not exactly sure if i am patient enough not to flare up. Are You very sure You got the right person?
Was in lack of education? Lack of information? Lack of a head start in life perhaps.
I noticed a similarity in the people being interviewed for this program. Simple minded. How can you decide to have three kids when you are living in poverty in rented one room flat, with the third child being an "accident" one. The mother chose to work as a cashier in a fast food chain because it allows her the flexibility to fetch her youngest son from a neighbourhood childcare. The other two elder daughters are in a primary school, suffering from lack of many things, in her own words. How, then can she allow this "accident" to happen? Knowing that she can ill afford another child, why bring another one to this world to suffer together? The father gave some crap excuse that he cannot go to work due to high blood pressure. Hello?? I have high blood and I'm working my ass off. He mentioned that he got high blood pressure from stress, poor diet of unhealthy food and lack of exercise. Yes, he is fat and I'm surprised he is fat, given the family's situation. Has he been eating the food supply of the whole family?? Anyway, he said he could easily earn $2000 a month as a restaurant manager but he chose not to, because "it would not be nice for me to take MC due to health." The journalist asked him if he would consider exercising or changing his diet to be healthier so that he could go get a decent job. Answer from him was "No, to difficult, so many years already, very hard to change." The family of five survive on a meagre monthly income of $700 from the mother's pay. Sorry i shouldn't be judging...but what a shithead!
Another uncle..he has no money at all, not even money in his MRT card. And he can't get money from his children because they are also not doing well. So i conclude that if you have a chid and you fail to provide education and proper upbringing to the child, he/she will grow up and suffer one way or another. If you are poor, you can at least teach the child tenacity and determination, and filial piety. So that no matter how hard life is, they will never abandon you the parents. And they will find a way to survive because they are tenacious. I cannot help but wonder what kind of a dad he had been when his kids were young. Why are his children treating him, their dad, so coldly.. what happened to filial piety?
By head start in life, i meant education. I truly believe that education breaks the cycle of poverty. It is a vicious cycle. Education trains the mind to think, and armed with a cert/diploma/degree/masters and whatever else there is, doors of opportunities are aplenty. Or at the very least, it helps one to make informed choices in life.
Life is a complicated journey full of choices and happenings. I should not make sweeping remarks. The above are just my personal opinions..raw and all. Haven't really thought about these issues in depth..but i really cannot help being angry at stupidity and ignorance.
If I'm the social worker assigned to the fat man, i will be very firm and insistent that he change. Either he change and make life better for him and his family OR he just continue to rot HIMSELF. I think I will just focus on helping the kids. I'm not sure if this is right though. But the equation seems to me like that. If he asked for social assistance and advice, he will get it and he should work harder to help others to help himself. If he choose to complain about life being unfair day after day, he can go screw himself.
God, i'm not sure why did you ask me to take up this calling.. the social workers that i met during the convention were all gentle, soft spoken and i guess very, very patient. I can be bitchy at times..not forgetting to mention vindictive too..and I'm not exactly sure if i am patient enough not to flare up. Are You very sure You got the right person?
Thursday, January 8, 2015
7 January, 2015 - Struggles
I have posted so many articles related to God..to remind myself that I need to walk closely with Him, in this relationship. This is not a religion but about having a relationship with God, our Father in heaven. I struggle striving to be a better person because i believe that we should all care about people around us, environment we live in and simply just because we care. And everyone deserves to lead a decent life on Earth. But I am far from being perfect. Like really far.
In a very commercialised first world society, everything is about me, myself and I and almost everyone is selfish and self-centered. Then the world would be a horrible place, and it sometimes is already a horrible place.
Do we do good because we want to feel good? Afraid of bad karma? Accumulating good karma? Trying to secure a place in heaven? Trying to be accepted by others? Are we all guilty of altruism? Are we all hypocrites?
I want a honest, genuine relationship with God. I want to obey because i am grateful for all that He has done for me, for my family. Yet, I am so disobedient at times. And i feel guilty for harbouring thoughts that God might just be an alien(s) from another planet whereby they are far more intelligent than human beings. But deep in my heart, i want God to be God, just like what I have been taught in school from young.
It is a constant struggle..by faith we believe what we cannot see. But science and logic got into the way. But I have made my choice..God
I am so sleepy and exhausted. Will ponder on altruism again..
In a very commercialised first world society, everything is about me, myself and I and almost everyone is selfish and self-centered. Then the world would be a horrible place, and it sometimes is already a horrible place.
Do we do good because we want to feel good? Afraid of bad karma? Accumulating good karma? Trying to secure a place in heaven? Trying to be accepted by others? Are we all guilty of altruism? Are we all hypocrites?
I want a honest, genuine relationship with God. I want to obey because i am grateful for all that He has done for me, for my family. Yet, I am so disobedient at times. And i feel guilty for harbouring thoughts that God might just be an alien(s) from another planet whereby they are far more intelligent than human beings. But deep in my heart, i want God to be God, just like what I have been taught in school from young.
It is a constant struggle..by faith we believe what we cannot see. But science and logic got into the way. But I have made my choice..God
I am so sleepy and exhausted. Will ponder on altruism again..
Alice Cooper - The prodigal son
“The world doesn’t belong to us, it belongs to Satan,” said Alice Cooper. “We’re living with that. We’re bombarded with that every day.”
“[A]lmost everything I wrote was good and evil,” he said. “Don’t pick evil. Even when I wasn’t Christian, I was saying that. God and the Devil. Don’t pick the Devil. It’s a bad idea.”
Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier) shot to mega-stardom in the 1970s and early 1980s with hits such as “I’m 18,” ‘Schools’ Out” and the 1973 album, Billion Dollar Babies. He also was notorious for his demonic makeup and costumes and macabre theatrics on stage, which included simulated suicide and the decapitation of baby-dolls, among other dark antics.
Alice Cooper was nominated for two Grammy Awards and he and his band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. He has played roles in several movies, including Wayne’s World with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey and, perhaps most ironically given his shock-rock music career, Cooper is an avid and skilled golfer.
Cooper scored a two-over par 74 on The Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., a world-class course; he played in the All Star Cup in Newport, South Wales; he has appeared in commercials for Callaway Golf equipment; and he is the author of Alice Cooper, Golf Monster.
In an interview posted on YouTube about his Christian roots, his Prodigal-son waywardness in the 1970s and early 1980s, and his reversion to Bible-based Christianity and his life today, Cooper explained that despite all the wealth and fame he attained early on, there was a huge emptiness in his life.
“I grew up in a Christian house,” said Cooper. “My dad was a pastor, he was an evangelist for 25 years, and I used to go up and do missionary work with him with the Apaches in Arizona. My grandfather was a pastor for 75 years. I grew up in a Christian home. And my wife’s father is a Baptist pastor. So, I was like, we were PK’s – preacher’s kids – so we married each other.”
“So I always refer to myself as the real Prodigal Son, because I went out and the Lord let me do everything,” said Cooper. “Maybe didn’t let me but allowed it, and then just started reeling me back in. You know, you’ve seen enough. Let’s bring you back to where you belong.”
“When you get out there and realize you’ve had every car, every house, and all that, you realize that that’s not the answer,” he said. “There’s a big nothing out there at the end of that. So, materialism doesn’t mean anything. A lot of people say that there’s a big God-sized hole in your heart. And when that’s filled, you’re really satisfied, and that’s where I am right now.”
Cooper then explained that his return to Christianity occurred when he tried and eventually quit drinking alcohol in the mid-1980s. (He also had a dangerous addiction to cocaine, which he discussed in the 2014 movie, Super Duper Alice Cooper.)
“I stopped drinking and I started going back to church,” he said. “I was throwing up blood every morning; I was really a bad alcoholic. I wasn’t a cruel or mean alcoholic but I was certainly self-destructive.”
He continued, “And when I stopped drinking, I started going back to church with my wife, and there was this pastor in Phoenix who was just Hell-fire. I mean, there were 6,000 people there and he was talking to me every Sunday. Of course, he wasn’t, but he was – just nailing me. Every weekend I’d get out exhausted. I’d come out of there and be, ‘I don’t want to go back.’ It was like torture and I always came back.”
“I finally realized, I had to go one side or the other,” said Cooper. “I had to make a decision for one side or the other, because I was so convicted. The Lord really convicted me, saying, look, it’s time to make a decision here. I said okay, and I joined a church called Camelback Bible over there, and that’s where I go now. It’s a really good teaching church, good strong Bible-teaching church.”
As for how his life has changed for the better, Cooper said, “Well, before you are always self—you’re always self-centered. Everything is for you. Your self is God. And we make lousy gods. Humans make lousy gods, I think. We need to let God be God and us be what we are. I think that’s what changes: the focus on who you’re serving. You’re not serving you. You’re serving Christ.”
“God’s chipping away at your life all the time to try to make you more like Him,” said Cooper. “That’s what a Christian is, a person that’s being molded and shaped all their life …. I think the Lord expects you to do your best in His name. I had to struggle a long time about rock and roll. I realized it’s not really the music. It’s what’s being said with the music. So I think you have to be careful of what you’re writing, what you’re representing.”
For those people who may have been big Alice Cooper fans back in 1970s and 1980s but who are still following the sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll lifestyle and not following Christ, Cooper said, “Well, they’re going to eventually know Christ, and I hope it’s not too late. If you’re at the wrong end at the wrong time, I think that’s going to be tragic.”
As for the temptations of this world, Cooper said, “Sure, what is the world made up of? It’s made up of that. The world doesn’t belong to us. It belongs to Satan. We’re living in that world. We’re bombarded with that every day.”
“So how do we react to that?” he said. “If you don’t have Christ in your life, then you’re a victim to it. So I think what we have to be very careful about is how we react to the world. If we have Christ in our life now, we have to react humbly. React in a teaching way and at the same time be humble about it.”
When it comes to politics, Cooper frequently says that he doesn’t like to get into the subject because it poisons rock music. In a 2010 interview with Rolling Stone, Cooper said he was “extremely non-political” and that he would “go out of my way to be non-political.”
He has also criticized other rock musicians for wearing their politics on their sleeves. During the 2004 presidential race, Cooper quietly supported George W. Bush but criticized Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews, James Taylor, and Bruce Springsteen for enthusiastically and publicly backing Democrat John Kerry.
“To me, that's treason. I call it treason against rock-and-roll, because rock is the antithesis of politics. Rock should never be in bed with politics," Cooper told the Canadian Press.
"If you're listening to a rock star in order to get your information on who to vote for, you're a bigger moron than they are,” he said. “Why are we rock stars? Because we're morons. We sleep all day, we play music at night and very rarely do we sit around reading the Washington Journal."
Cooper continued, “Besides, when I read the list of people who are supporting Kerry, if I wasn't already a Bush supporter, I would have immediately switched. Linda Ronstadt? Don Henley? Geez, that's a good reason right there to vote for Bush."
In an interview with the evangelical Christian program The Harvest Show, Alice Cooper said that if there is Bible story that represents his life, it is Jonah and the whale. He also disclosed that despite the dark and demonic aspects of some of his early music, there were still Christian messages being conveyed about good vs. evil and that the songs did warn against Satan.
“[A] almost every thing I wrote was good and evil,” said Cooper during the interview. “Don’t pick evil. Even when I wasn’t Christian, I was saying that. God and the Devil. Don’t pick the Devil. It’s a bad idea. But all they saw was the image [of Alice Cooper].”
“And I gave Alice his perimeter, his areas where he wouldn’t go past,” said the musician, “and I still find songs from the first albums that totally all have Christian bywords going all the way through it. It comes out of you what’s in you. So songs like Second Coming, and that, were all warning about Satan.”
Cooper also said that if his life means anything remotely similar to what is told in the Bible, it is that “Jonah was swallowed by a whale.”
“I don’t believe this [notion] that it’s all parables and they mean just this – no,” Cooper said in reference to the Bible. “I say, if it says it, it meant it. People laugh at me and say you can’t really believe that. Look, if I can believe that God created the world and everything in it, why wouldn’t I believe a simple thing like that? That’s not a hard thing.”
“The very fact that He cared enough about me to save my life about 20 times, and help me survive a million different things, to put me where I am now, and the challenge I have now to be a Christian in the rock business,” said Cooper. “He kind of put me in the camp of the Philistines, which is okay.”
He continued, “What people don’t realize is that when you become a Christian it doesn’t make things easier, it makes them harder. It makes your life harder. It makes your soul at ease with God because you know where you are with Him. It doesn’t make your social life or your normal life in America any easier. In fact, it puts you under the microscope.”
“Sometimes I think that TV evangelism is one of Satan’s greatest weapons,” said Cooper. “They put these guys on a pedestal and all of a sudden they get caught with a prostitute, and every Christian I know then is under the gun. So you don’t think that’s kind of set up?”
“I’m telling you, the Devil is very smart,” said Cooper. “He’s not going to come out with the horns and the tail. He’s going to come in as the slickest car salesman you ever saw – and I’ve seen some pretty slick pastors on TV. Now that’s not to say they’re all like that. … But every time I hear something that goes a little left of center, I go, ‘What? What was that?’ You know, too much healing on TV, I don’t know about that. That’s showbiz I think.”
In mid-December 2014, Alice Cooper’s song “School’s Out” was inducted into the 2015 Grammy Hall of Fame, along with music from other artists such as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Otis Redding, Neil Young and Harry Belafonte.
“[A]lmost everything I wrote was good and evil,” he said. “Don’t pick evil. Even when I wasn’t Christian, I was saying that. God and the Devil. Don’t pick the Devil. It’s a bad idea.”
Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier) shot to mega-stardom in the 1970s and early 1980s with hits such as “I’m 18,” ‘Schools’ Out” and the 1973 album, Billion Dollar Babies. He also was notorious for his demonic makeup and costumes and macabre theatrics on stage, which included simulated suicide and the decapitation of baby-dolls, among other dark antics.
Alice Cooper was nominated for two Grammy Awards and he and his band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011. He has played roles in several movies, including Wayne’s World with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey and, perhaps most ironically given his shock-rock music career, Cooper is an avid and skilled golfer.
Cooper scored a two-over par 74 on The Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., a world-class course; he played in the All Star Cup in Newport, South Wales; he has appeared in commercials for Callaway Golf equipment; and he is the author of Alice Cooper, Golf Monster.
In an interview posted on YouTube about his Christian roots, his Prodigal-son waywardness in the 1970s and early 1980s, and his reversion to Bible-based Christianity and his life today, Cooper explained that despite all the wealth and fame he attained early on, there was a huge emptiness in his life.
“I grew up in a Christian house,” said Cooper. “My dad was a pastor, he was an evangelist for 25 years, and I used to go up and do missionary work with him with the Apaches in Arizona. My grandfather was a pastor for 75 years. I grew up in a Christian home. And my wife’s father is a Baptist pastor. So, I was like, we were PK’s – preacher’s kids – so we married each other.”
“So I always refer to myself as the real Prodigal Son, because I went out and the Lord let me do everything,” said Cooper. “Maybe didn’t let me but allowed it, and then just started reeling me back in. You know, you’ve seen enough. Let’s bring you back to where you belong.”
“When you get out there and realize you’ve had every car, every house, and all that, you realize that that’s not the answer,” he said. “There’s a big nothing out there at the end of that. So, materialism doesn’t mean anything. A lot of people say that there’s a big God-sized hole in your heart. And when that’s filled, you’re really satisfied, and that’s where I am right now.”
Cooper then explained that his return to Christianity occurred when he tried and eventually quit drinking alcohol in the mid-1980s. (He also had a dangerous addiction to cocaine, which he discussed in the 2014 movie, Super Duper Alice Cooper.)
“I stopped drinking and I started going back to church,” he said. “I was throwing up blood every morning; I was really a bad alcoholic. I wasn’t a cruel or mean alcoholic but I was certainly self-destructive.”
He continued, “And when I stopped drinking, I started going back to church with my wife, and there was this pastor in Phoenix who was just Hell-fire. I mean, there were 6,000 people there and he was talking to me every Sunday. Of course, he wasn’t, but he was – just nailing me. Every weekend I’d get out exhausted. I’d come out of there and be, ‘I don’t want to go back.’ It was like torture and I always came back.”
“I finally realized, I had to go one side or the other,” said Cooper. “I had to make a decision for one side or the other, because I was so convicted. The Lord really convicted me, saying, look, it’s time to make a decision here. I said okay, and I joined a church called Camelback Bible over there, and that’s where I go now. It’s a really good teaching church, good strong Bible-teaching church.”
As for how his life has changed for the better, Cooper said, “Well, before you are always self—you’re always self-centered. Everything is for you. Your self is God. And we make lousy gods. Humans make lousy gods, I think. We need to let God be God and us be what we are. I think that’s what changes: the focus on who you’re serving. You’re not serving you. You’re serving Christ.”
“God’s chipping away at your life all the time to try to make you more like Him,” said Cooper. “That’s what a Christian is, a person that’s being molded and shaped all their life …. I think the Lord expects you to do your best in His name. I had to struggle a long time about rock and roll. I realized it’s not really the music. It’s what’s being said with the music. So I think you have to be careful of what you’re writing, what you’re representing.”
For those people who may have been big Alice Cooper fans back in 1970s and 1980s but who are still following the sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll lifestyle and not following Christ, Cooper said, “Well, they’re going to eventually know Christ, and I hope it’s not too late. If you’re at the wrong end at the wrong time, I think that’s going to be tragic.”
As for the temptations of this world, Cooper said, “Sure, what is the world made up of? It’s made up of that. The world doesn’t belong to us. It belongs to Satan. We’re living in that world. We’re bombarded with that every day.”
“So how do we react to that?” he said. “If you don’t have Christ in your life, then you’re a victim to it. So I think what we have to be very careful about is how we react to the world. If we have Christ in our life now, we have to react humbly. React in a teaching way and at the same time be humble about it.”
When it comes to politics, Cooper frequently says that he doesn’t like to get into the subject because it poisons rock music. In a 2010 interview with Rolling Stone, Cooper said he was “extremely non-political” and that he would “go out of my way to be non-political.”
He has also criticized other rock musicians for wearing their politics on their sleeves. During the 2004 presidential race, Cooper quietly supported George W. Bush but criticized Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews, James Taylor, and Bruce Springsteen for enthusiastically and publicly backing Democrat John Kerry.
“To me, that's treason. I call it treason against rock-and-roll, because rock is the antithesis of politics. Rock should never be in bed with politics," Cooper told the Canadian Press.
"If you're listening to a rock star in order to get your information on who to vote for, you're a bigger moron than they are,” he said. “Why are we rock stars? Because we're morons. We sleep all day, we play music at night and very rarely do we sit around reading the Washington Journal."
Cooper continued, “Besides, when I read the list of people who are supporting Kerry, if I wasn't already a Bush supporter, I would have immediately switched. Linda Ronstadt? Don Henley? Geez, that's a good reason right there to vote for Bush."
In an interview with the evangelical Christian program The Harvest Show, Alice Cooper said that if there is Bible story that represents his life, it is Jonah and the whale. He also disclosed that despite the dark and demonic aspects of some of his early music, there were still Christian messages being conveyed about good vs. evil and that the songs did warn against Satan.
“[A] almost every thing I wrote was good and evil,” said Cooper during the interview. “Don’t pick evil. Even when I wasn’t Christian, I was saying that. God and the Devil. Don’t pick the Devil. It’s a bad idea. But all they saw was the image [of Alice Cooper].”
“And I gave Alice his perimeter, his areas where he wouldn’t go past,” said the musician, “and I still find songs from the first albums that totally all have Christian bywords going all the way through it. It comes out of you what’s in you. So songs like Second Coming, and that, were all warning about Satan.”
Cooper also said that if his life means anything remotely similar to what is told in the Bible, it is that “Jonah was swallowed by a whale.”
“I don’t believe this [notion] that it’s all parables and they mean just this – no,” Cooper said in reference to the Bible. “I say, if it says it, it meant it. People laugh at me and say you can’t really believe that. Look, if I can believe that God created the world and everything in it, why wouldn’t I believe a simple thing like that? That’s not a hard thing.”
“The very fact that He cared enough about me to save my life about 20 times, and help me survive a million different things, to put me where I am now, and the challenge I have now to be a Christian in the rock business,” said Cooper. “He kind of put me in the camp of the Philistines, which is okay.”
He continued, “What people don’t realize is that when you become a Christian it doesn’t make things easier, it makes them harder. It makes your life harder. It makes your soul at ease with God because you know where you are with Him. It doesn’t make your social life or your normal life in America any easier. In fact, it puts you under the microscope.”
“Sometimes I think that TV evangelism is one of Satan’s greatest weapons,” said Cooper. “They put these guys on a pedestal and all of a sudden they get caught with a prostitute, and every Christian I know then is under the gun. So you don’t think that’s kind of set up?”
“I’m telling you, the Devil is very smart,” said Cooper. “He’s not going to come out with the horns and the tail. He’s going to come in as the slickest car salesman you ever saw – and I’ve seen some pretty slick pastors on TV. Now that’s not to say they’re all like that. … But every time I hear something that goes a little left of center, I go, ‘What? What was that?’ You know, too much healing on TV, I don’t know about that. That’s showbiz I think.”
In mid-December 2014, Alice Cooper’s song “School’s Out” was inducted into the 2015 Grammy Hall of Fame, along with music from other artists such as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Otis Redding, Neil Young and Harry Belafonte.
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