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# Cliff Tam

A Follower of Jesus Christ

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://clifftam.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [What Is Christian Fatherhood? A Biblical Guide for Fathers](https://clifftam.com/what-is-christian-fatherhood-a-biblical-guide-for-fathers/) - Christian fatherhood is more than providing. Learn how fathers reflect God, disciple their children, and shape faith at home through everyday life.
- [Christian Fatherhood: Revealing the Heavenly Father to Your Children](https://clifftam.com/christian-fatherhood-revealing-the-heavenly-father/) - Christian fatherhood is more than providing and protecting. Fathers reveal God’s heart through love, patience, truth, affection, and daily discipleship.
- [The Painful Tension Between Ministry and Family](https://clifftam.com/tension-between-family-and-ministry/) - There was a season when Wai Jia and I attended a missions conference with our two-year-old and our baby. We have always loved missions, so being there stirred something in me again. I remember sitting in that environment and feeling the old desire rise up in my heart. I wanted to go back into ministry.
- [Sowing Into My Children](https://clifftam.com/sowing-into-my-children/) - Are you truly investing in your children spiritually? Discover why parenting is discipleship and how everyday moments shape your child’s faith for generations.
- [When Your Wife’s Calling Is Bigger Than Yours: A Christian Husband Reflects](https://clifftam.com/wife-calling-bigger-than-husband/) - What happens when a husband feels like he is standing on the sidelines while his wife shines? A Christian reflection on marriage, work, and trusting God’s plan.
- [Confession of a Stay-At-Home Dad](https://clifftam.com/confession-of-a-stay-at-home-dad/) - A Christian father shares honest struggles as a stay-at-home dad—and how God used the ordinary moments of parenting to shape a deeper vision of biblical fatherhood and discipleship.
- [Who Should Disciple Our Children?](https://clifftam.com/who-should-disciple-our-children/) - Who is responsible for discipling children—the church or parents? A personal and biblical reflection on why discipleship starts at home.
- [Papa Got You](https://clifftam.com/papa-got-you/) - I held Sarah-Faith as she went into the pool for the first time. Ever since she slipped and fell into a deeper part of a pool, she was afraid of it. She would point to the water and cry, "Too deep! Too deep!" Last week, we took Sarah-Faith for her first water lesson. At 2.5
- [Is There Life After Being a Missionary?](https://clifftam.com/is-there-life-after-being-a-missionary/) - What happens when a missionary leaves the field? A biblical reflection on faithfulness, obedience, and finishing well in every season.
- [MLA Bible Abbreviations List (Complete Guide + Free PDF)](https://clifftam.com/bible-books-abbreviations-mla-style/) - Complete MLA Bible abbreviations list with free printable PDF. Includes Old and New Testament abbreviations for accurate academic citation.
- [It Is Not Your Love That Sustains the Marriage – Meaning and Christian Reflection](https://clifftam.com/god-who-sustains-our-marriage/) - Who said “It is not your love that sustains the marriage”? Discover the meaning of this powerful Christian wedding quote and its true origin.
- [Unhealthy Leadership in the Church](https://clifftam.com/unhealthy-leadership-in-the-church/) - Disclaimer: This reflection is not written to attack the church or to label leaders as “good” or “bad,” but to thoughtfully examine unhealthy leadership in the church through a pastoral and personal lens. I love the church, and I remain deeply grateful for many faithful pastors and leaders who serve with integrity, humility, and care.
- [Keep Moving Forward](https://clifftam.com/keep-moving-forward/) - Cliff shares his journey as a missionary in Africa, highlighting perseverance through daily struggles and faith in God’s plan. Inspired by Matthew 6:34.
- [Obedience Over Effectiveness: Why I Chose Mission Life in Tanzania](https://clifftam.com/obedience-over-effectiveness-why-i-chose-mission-life-in-tanzania/) - A Christian missionary compares long-distance triathlon with mission life in Tanzania, choosing obedience over comfort and effectiveness.
- [Is It Biblical for a Wife to Earn More Than Her Husband? | Christian View on Marriage & Income](https://clifftam.com/is-it-biblical-for-the-wife-to-earn-more-than-her-husband/) - What does the Bible say about a wife to earn more than her husband? Discover Christian perspectives on financial roles and headship in marriage.
- [5 Life-Changing Christian Parenting Books You’ll Love](https://clifftam.com/5-life-changing-christian-parenting-books-youll-love/) - Five impactful Christian parenting books to help you disciple your children and strengthen faith at home. Reviews, takeaways, and practical tips.
- [More money does not solve money problems](https://clifftam.com/more-money-does-not-solve-money-problems/) - I shared this with a friend the other day. The solution to money problems is not having more money. “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns
- [Why We Moved to Tanzania: Prioritizing the Great Commission](https://clifftam.com/why-we-moved-to-tanzania-prioritizing-the-great-commission/) - Discover how our family chose to follow Jesus’ Great Commission by moving to Tanzania. Learn why obedience, not comfort, shaped our decisions—and how you can take your next step in faith.
- [Whirlwind](https://clifftam.com/whirlwind-2/) - A month ago, I developed a 6-day fever in Tanzania. I lost my appetite and had body aches. We tried one antibiotic, but it didn’t work. So, with some intuition and suggestions from other doctors, Wai Jia gave me another antibiotic to try. At the same time, we decided to come back to Singapore a
- [The Church’s Blind Spot: Why Character Matters More Than Talent](https://clifftam.com/the-churchs-blind-spot-why-character-matters-more-than-talent/) - The Church often elevates gifts over character, but what does God truly value? Discover why the fruits of the Spirit matter more than talent in ministry.
- [Ministry Is Not a Marathon—Unless You Run It Right](https://clifftam.com/ministry-is-not-a-marathon-unless-you-run-it-right/) - Many preachers compare ministry to a marathon, but have they actually run one? Discover how true marathon strategy can reshape your approach to ministry.
- [Thoughts of a 40 something](https://clifftam.com/thoughts-of-a-40-something/) - Being 40s is an interesting season. I am now seeing my girls growing up. I am seeing my parents growing old. And I also realize that I am growing older. The general belief is that younger is better. If you are 30, it is like you are 20. If you are 40, it is like
- [2024 Reflections](https://clifftam.com/2024-reflections/) - My reflections on 2024.
- [The easiest way to send money to Tanzania](https://clifftam.com/the-easiest-way-to-send-money-to-tanzania/) - One of the complex parts of living in Africa is getting money to spend. In most places, you have to pay in cash. I am surprised to see many places in Tanzania starting to accept debit/credit cards. But there are still many things you have to pay in cash. The largest Tanzanian denomination is 10,000 ATM, bank transfter, Western Union - what's the best way to get cash in Tanzania as a foreigner!
- [Wrestling between being a father and a minister](https://clifftam.com/wrestling-between-being-a-father-and-a-minister/) - My struggles as a stay-at-home father and learning to serve in the church as a minister.
- [Black Water](https://clifftam.com/black-water/) - Of all the triathlons I have done, there is one race I can never forget. It was a Long Course (2 km swim, 50 km bike, and 15 km run) near Huntsville, Ontario. Since it was early in the racing season, I didn't have time to practice swimming in open water. We started the race
- [Love of God the Father and the Cross of Christ](https://clifftam.com/love-of-god-the-father-and-the-cross-of-christ/) - "Never build your case for forgiveness on the idea that God is our Father and He will forgive us because He loves us. That contradicts the revealed truth of God in Jesus Christ. It makes the Cross unnecessary, and the redemption “much ado about nothing.” God forgives sin only because of the death of Christ.
- [How to Abide in Christ During Life's Storms: Finding Peace Amid Challenges](https://clifftam.com/how-to-abide-in-christ-during-lifes-storms-finding-peace-amid-challenges/) - I felt overwhelmed when my car engine failed, but this experience taught me to abide in Christ.
- [The sure way to finish strong in Christ](https://clifftam.com/how-to-finish-strong-in-christ/) - The three ways to finish strong in Christ is by crucifying our flesh, surrendering our will and becoming a bondservant in Christ Jesus.
- [Fruit for thought: The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill](https://clifftam.com/fruit-for-thought-the-rise-and-fall-of-mars-hill/) - My thoughts on the importance to stay humble after listening to The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill.
- [How to check and disable email forward for Yahoo account](https://clifftam.com/how-to-check-and-disable-email-forward-for-yahoo-account/) - I am writing this simple guide because one of my friends' Yahoo accounts might be hacked and forwarding emails without his awareness. This guide will show you how to access the email forward settings in your Yahoo mail account. Log into Click here to log onto your Yahoo email account. In the top right corner, click
- [IT Guide: Use less Internet bandwidth for Android Phones and Tablets](https://clifftam.com/it-guide-use-less-internet-bandwidth-for-android-phones-and-tablets/) - In order to limit our bandwidth usage in Uganda (and save a few bucks), I started to configue my Android phone, Samsung Galaxy S2, to use as little bandwidth as possible. I mod my phone with SlimRoms, so this means that my steps to access certain settings might be different on your Android devvice. I
- [The five minutes before the beginning...the birth of a triathlete](https://clifftam.com/five-minute-before-beginning/) - Even though my triathlon was two weeks ago, the few minutes before the race was still crystal clear in my head. I want to see if I can put it into writing... ...The transition area was a non-paved parking lot. As I walked toward the beach I have to be careful not to step on
- [Kids, parenting and ministry](https://clifftam.com/kids-parenting-and-ministry/) - I may have written this before, so bear with me if you have read it already. Our life decisions will determine the path of who we will become. I know this ain't rocket science, but I am always amazed at myself for taking this route of being a stay-at-home dad. I admit that most of
- [Our Fear of Being Ordinary](https://clifftam.com/our-fear-of-being-ordinary/) - I carried them everywhere when my kids were young, like 3 and 1. I would strap the baby on my chest and carry my three-year-old in one arm. I remember a few times, people in the mall would applaud me and call me "super dad." Being a stay-at-home dad (SAHD), one would think that encouraged
- [Basing our identity on our works](https://clifftam.com/basing-our-identity-on-our-works/) - If God can use David, a shepherd boy, He can use you. Anyone can be used by God You are special, and God has a plan for you. I noticed many encouraging sermons or talks wrapped around these messages lately. That you are special and don't give up because God can still use you. The
- [Do not worry about your life](https://clifftam.com/do-not-worry-about-your-life/) - If there are verses in the Bible that dominate my life, they will be found in Matthew 5 and 6. The verses in chapter 6 about do not worry are of particular importance. I believe this is the key way how to live as we follow Jesus. I am referring to verses 25 to 34.
- [Welcome back Wai Jia](https://clifftam.com/welcome-back-wai-jia/) - It has been about two weeks since Wai Jia came back from Eswatini. Since she came back, we tried out a new routine in Team Tam. Even though she was gone for only 7 weeks (feels like 7 years!), a lot of things have changed. For one, our older child started going to school during
- [Doing More by doing less](https://clifftam.com/doing-more-by-doing-less/) - Wai Jia, my wife, has been away from us for almost a month now. She is now in Africa helping out with UNICEF. This has been one of the most intense periods of my life because I am looking after the kiddies 24/7. Before I go on, I will say that I can only do
- [Living off of God's Word](https://clifftam.com/living-off-gods-word/) - I am not the type that makes yearly resolutions. It is not because I don't believe in planning; I do. It is because most of my plans are not based on calendar time. One of my plans is to finish my thesis. I have already finished writing it and am in the process of editing
- [Good suffering vs bad suffering](https://clifftam.com/good-suffering-vs-bad-suffering/) - Last month when I was reading my Bible, I came upon Deuteronomy 8. In verse 3, it says: So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone;
- [Love is the key to learning](https://clifftam.com/love-key-to-learning/) - Here is a picture of all the exercise books we taught our four-year-old for 2021. It is by God's grace that He allows both Wai Jia and I to homeschool her. Wai Jia focuses on English, Chinese, Grammar and Arts. I focus on Science, Logic, Math, and Bible stories. A major lesson I learned through
- [Thesis-time](https://clifftam.com/thesis-time/) - For the past two months, I've been knee-deep in my thesis. I've learned that you first write it and then the hard part is editing it. I've learned so much in this process. I am trying not to rush this journey so I can submit something semi-intelligent. Just one more month of editing, proofing and
- [Christmas tree](https://clifftam.com/christmas-tree/) - This is the Christmas tree we set up in our home. When I set it up, I thought it was a poor sight. The top is tilting. The bristles are far in between. I thought, wouldn’t it be nice if I spent a bit more money on getting a better tree? (Note: I am not
- [Discipleship redefine](https://clifftam.com/discipleship-redefine/) - I am finishing up writing my thesis. The next step is to edit and format. The aim is to finish by the end of January. It is unbelievable that the thesis is almost complete. Something that is grappling in my heart is how the church needs to relook at discipleship. Right now, we treat discipleship
- [Plan but don't depend on the plan](https://clifftam.com/plan-but-dont-depend-on-the-plan/) - Lately, as I journey life with younger Christians, I tell them to plan but don't depend so much on the plan.Whether it is finding a relationship, getting married, or having kids, finding the right job or making more money, it is easy to assume that we got these things will make us happier, safer, or
- [Cliff Talks: X-Factors in Biblical Parenthood](https://clifftam.com/cliff-talks-x-factors-in-biblical-parenthood/)
- [Cliff talks: Biblical Parenthood to disciple the next Generation](https://clifftam.com/cliff-talks-biblical-parenthood-to-disciple-the-next-generation/)
- [It is ok to fail.  it is not ok to Quit.](https://clifftam.com/it-is-ok-to-fail-it-is-not-ok-to-quit/) - As I am working on my thesis for my M Div, I started to think about being a father. One thing that dawned on my mind when I first step into fatherhood, especially when it comes to discipling our children, is that I realized I couldn't do it. Or I don't think I can. I
- [Dismount and push](https://clifftam.com/dismount-and-push/) - In Singapore, they built paved paths known as PCN (Park Connectors). As the name implies, it connects from one park to another. This is great because you can cycle, blade or run between parks. Earlier this week I was exploring a route from Bishan down to Marina Bay Sands. It was fun exploring and riding
- [Do my strengths make me a good leader?](https://clifftam.com/do-my-strengths-make-me-a-good-leader/) - Earlier this year, I told Wai Jia that I am not sure what my strengths are. A friend recommended I to take the Clifton StrengthsFinder. I've taken various personality tests before and those tests didn't reveal anything surprising about me. However, in this test I felt God gave me insight into what it means to
- [learning to parent](https://clifftam.com/learning-to-parent/) - Sometimes when you look back, you are amazed at how much you change. I remembered when I first came back to Singapore from Canada back in mid-2019, I was in a shock of being a stay-at-home dad. There are, of course, other factors that caused me to be stressed out. Being in Singapore and learning
- [What is Biblical Parenting?](https://clifftam.com/what-is-biblical-parenting/) - When we started our homeschooling journey last year, we've met a number of homeschooling parents in Singapore. They are also Christian and a number of them rave about this Christian teaching methodology. I, too, desire my children to learn Jesus. So I went online and to find out more about this 'methodology'. In a short
- [bending backward to share the joy of Christ to my kids](https://clifftam.com/bending-backward-to-share-the-joy-of-christ-to-my-kids/) - Growing up, my family never really celebrated Christmas. I remembered we use to put up a tree when I was small. But as we grew up, neither my sister nor myself felt the need to do any decoration. Mind you; we weren't Christians. Though we were baptized as Catholics, we weren't very religious. When I
- [Word Study](https://clifftam.com/word-study/) - Last night I was doing a word study from the Bible. It helped me answer some questions I had, and at the same time, I have more questions I haven't thought of before. A long time ago, a teacher once said that the more you dig into the Bible, the deeper it goes, and you
- [God of the ORdinary (and Extraordinary)](https://clifftam.com/god-of-the-ordinary-and-extraordinary/) - Jesus has done many miracles and taught with great wisdom. Yet, one thing that continued to astonish me is Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. It is so ordinary. It is so mundane. It is so low. Yet, Jesus did it without hesitation. I love how John described this scene in John 13. First,
- [Slowing Down](https://clifftam.com/slowing-down/) - I love getting stuff done and getting them done fast. There is no better feeling than checking off my to-do list. I quickly learn that when I take my girls out, I have to slow down. Life is not about rushing to get stuff done. Instead, it is finding opportunities in the ordinary day to
- [David's Anointing](https://clifftam.com/davids-anointing/) - This post is more of a prelude to David coming into the scene in the Bible. His first famous achievement is defeating Goliath. I plan to go into that later, but I like to set up the stage on who David is. After God rejected Saul as King of Israel, God told Samuel to go
- [Six Months](https://clifftam.com/six-months/) - A long overdue post. Sorry. Sometimes, the longer I don’t blog, the longer I don’t want to. It is probably because I feel like I missed so much already. But sometimes it is good to come back to an old habit that helps you jot down and reflect upon a portion of your life. Six
- [Prayer and desire to be independent...](https://clifftam.com/prayer-and-desire-to-be-independen/) - I will be honest. I am horrible at praying. Especially to pray for a long time. My mind always drift off. I sometimes fall asleep praying. Sometimes I am too busy to pray. Actually there are many times I am too busy to pray. But since the beginning of this year, I am tired of
- [Devotion: It is the Lord!](https://clifftam.com/devotion-it-is-lord/) - This is taken from a devotion on Utmost.org. Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ. The greatest competitor of true devotion to Jesus is the service we do for Him. It is easier to serve than to pour out our lives completely for Him. The goal of the call of God
- [I will risk myself on you](https://clifftam.com/i-will-risk-myself-on-you/) - When Wai Jia and I planned our wedding a few months ago, we wanted to share with the world our story. A friend introduced us a very talented videographer, Josiah Ng. If you haven’t watched it, I hope you can take the next 13 minutes to watch the video below. It is God’s story weaving
- [Marriage Vow](https://clifftam.com/marriage-vow/) - I promise to love you, to comfort you, to honor and protect you, forsaking all others and remain faithful to you for as long as both of us shall live. I acknowledge you, Tan Wai Jia, to be my wife, to have and to hold, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness
- [Embrace Trials](https://clifftam.com/embrace-trials/) - One of the tips given on the mission field is that the greatest challenge is not reaching those who do not know Christ, it is working with the team on the field. Because the team can be formed from various of backgrounds, values, cultures, expectations and denominations, your team can be a great source of
- [Open up my eyes](https://clifftam.com/open-up-my-eyes/) - Yesterdays sermon, I was captured by one passage...2 Kings 615 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked.16 "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who
- [Man enough](https://clifftam.com/man-enoug/) - One of the most popular post in this blog is the Adrian Plass' poem. I was re-reading it today. For the past few weeks...since November, my emotion had been up and down. I really wanted to follow Christ. Yet the passion is not there. What seemed to be easy task like sending out an email
- [Persecution: As common as the sun rising in the East](https://clifftam.com/persecution-as-common-as-sun-rising-in/) - I sent this email to my fellowship today...I subscribed to Voice of the Martyrs newsletter..and there was one article caught my attention...The article is called Persecution: Normal and Expected (http://www.lausanneworldpulse.com/themedarticles.php/1045). It talks about a Biblical view of persecution and how sometimes the Western Church miss the mark.What sadden me is in the article when the
- [What mature Christian do...](https://clifftam.com/what-mature-christian-do/) - From Tim Keller's Counterfeit gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That MattersSpeaking about the characteristics of a mature Christian:Our hearts are like that. We think we've learned about grace, set our idols aside, and reached a place where we're serving God not for what we're going to get
- [In awe](https://clifftam.com/in-awe/) - Christmas is coming soon. And as I look back, reflect now, it seems I can be quite a busy body. Busy reading many blogs. Busy reading many books. Busy reading the Bible. Busy moving around. Ministries...meeting up with friends.Last night, I was sharing with a brother that when I think about Christ, I am still
- [Quiteness, Doing and Loving...](https://clifftam.com/quiteness-doing-and-loving/) - Quietness...I wouldn't say lately I am feeling good. I always feel a deep burden for the lost. The feeling to be alone. To not do anything. Even though, there is many things I should be doing. I just want to stop for a min.I know I should rejoice to be in awe of my salvation....I
- [What did you do?](https://clifftam.com/gods-work-and-mans-work/) - In my church, we had a new English pastor for 6 months now. Before him, we were without a pastor for about a year and a half.A friend once asked us how we got a new English pastor. I replied that we prayed really hard. We prayed every Wed (our weekly prayer meeting) and every
- [What I miss from Australia](https://clifftam.com/what-i-miss-from-australia/) - It has been about 2-3 weeks back here in Mississauga and things are back to normal. What I miss from Australia is that every thing I did, even the small thing, like finding my way in Brisbane transit, I feel great accomplishment and grateful. Maybe because it was new experience. I should see things differently
- [Using terms loosely](https://clifftam.com/using-terms-loosely/) - Had a rather interesting conversation with a brother last night...One topic that came up was that terms were often use without a full understanding of them...for example..mission, missional, counter cultural (with respect of being a Christian). Even the word Glory and praise....hmmm....I will add some jargon in there....how about eschatology :)
- [The Forbidden Fruit](https://clifftam.com/forbidden-frui/) - 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of
- [A Desire for a new world](https://clifftam.com/desire-for-new-world/) - I think sometimes I get stuck in the only Christian desire a new earth (and new heaven)....When I listen to a song like this, I can't help but to see that those who don't know Christ have a desire for a new world too when we look at the brokeness of today's culture :)They gotta
- [Delight Yourself in the Lord](https://clifftam.com/delight-yourself-in-lord/) - Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.Psalm 37:4Earlier today I was spending time with my Pastor and we were talking about this. We talked about how this passage might reference to ask God for anything and He will give it to you. The condition is in the
- [When the heart wants to go one way](https://clifftam.com/when-heart-wants-to-go-one-way/) - and God wants me to go the other..."God...you know how my heart feel(think?). What you are showing me right now is a path where I don't really want to go. It feels like a struggle. You know the burden that I have. But I know you are a good God. For you have provided and
- [Being the hands and feet of Jesus](https://clifftam.com/between-serving-and-volunteering/) - This is just some rough thoughts in my head. Just throwing some ideas around. I was at prayer meeting tonight and next week we have a number of people going to Short Term Mission to Jamestown. I never know where Jamestown was until I looked in the map. My heart sank at the thought of
- [Newbie](https://clifftam.com/newbie/) - I have been doing triathlon for four years. After four years of sweating and training, it feels like I am only at the beginning of the sport. There is still a lot of learn and a lot I don't know. That's great. The joy of discovering and exploration. I got baptise the Sun after I
- [My King is moving](https://clifftam.com/my-king-is-moving/) - Today I attended BASIC Toronto's Conference call Heart Matters in the City. It is a youth worship conference to rally them to love the city as Jesus would.Through the worship, all I can think about is Open Door and Mississauga. I was listening to Reggie McNeal the other day. He was talking about the King
- [Thankful](https://clifftam.com/thankfu/) - I am thankful that I have brothers and sisters whom I can serve among...I am thankful that we all desire to be Biblical base and Christ centered...I am thankful for having a church that I can grow...I am thankful for the Holy Spirit. Who dwell among us and convict us of right and wrong...And I
- [Busy-ness](https://clifftam.com/busy-ness-2/) - This week I have been busy.Work had me working on multiple projects at once. My church is having an anniversary and I am in charge of creating a video. I am going to Transplant Games in Australia in Aug and have to plan for that. Just right now, I am taking a look at the
- [Book Reflection: Eric Liddell Pure Gold](https://clifftam.com/book-reflection-eric-liddell-pure-gold_30/) - Pg. 211Eric Liddell's 1938 annual report. "HAPPINESS is to have enough for the day's needs with always some to spare for those who have not.IT is to possess the love of friends and to have the knowledge that all is well with them.IT IS TO LIVE IN PEACE WITH ALL MEN.HAPPINESS is to have the
- [Book reflection: Irresistible Revolution](https://clifftam.com/book-reflection-irresistible-revolution/) - I first heard of Shane Claiborne a few months ago from a friend. As always, I did a look up on the internet. I saw a video of him on youtube.His message struck a cord. He also wrote a book called The Irresistible Revolution. I borrowed it from a friend and finished it in four
- [Recklessness](https://clifftam.com/recklessness/) - What is, therefore, our task today? Shall I answer: “Faith, hope, and love”? That sounds beautiful. But I would say - courage. No, even that is not challenging enough to be the whole truth. Our task today is recklessness. For what we Christians lack is not psychology or literature… we lack a holy rage The
- [A Box of Chocolate](https://clifftam.com/a-box-of-chocolate/) - This happened a while back, but it is still fresh in my memory. “Can Mama have it back?” Standing on the other side of the living room, I could see that our toddler, just shy of two months to being two years old, really wanted another one. She had a box of chocolates in her
- [Cliff's guide on how to become a better paintball player](https://clifftam.com/cliffs-guide-better-paintball-player/) - Last week during church camp, some of the younger fellas (in their early 20s) asked me to join them to play paintball. Growing up, I never played any team sports or considered myself athletic (I still don’t). The first ‘sport’ I got into was paintball. Though many do not considered as a sport, for
- [See you later, Uganda](https://clifftam.com/see-you-later-uganda/) - In a few hours, Wai Jia and I will be hopping on a plane leaving Uganda. I haven't blog much about our experience in Africa. The past year was a year of laboring for the Lord and experiencing the faithfulness of His goodness. I am leaving with ever more desire to serve Him and seek
- [How much data does Skype video use?](https://clifftam.com/how-much-data-does-skype-video-use/) - For those of us who are constraint with limited bandwidth, you will realize that video takes up a lot of bandwidth. I've been doing tests on various video websites (youtube, Vimeo, BBC and CNN). I also measure Skype video as well since most of us (especially those living aboard) Skype is a great tool to
- [How much data BBC and CNN videos use?](https://clifftam.com/how-much-data-bbc-and-cnn-videos-use/) - After testing how much data Youtube and Vimeo video use, I tested BBC and CNN videos as well. If your data plan is limited, like me, you will want to know how much data videos are using (since they consume the most data) so you have an idea of how much you can watch a
- [How much data Vimeo use?](https://clifftam.com/how-much-data-vimeo-use/) - A while ago I tested how much data Youtube use. I also tested how much data Vimeo videos use as well. Once again, I use NetLimiter to measure my test. Again I use a one minute video to test. The Vimeo video I used is One Minute Wonder - Kiah Victoria Wonders on Vimeo. Unlike
- [When Empathy is not enough (a missionary musing)](https://clifftam.com/when-empathy-is-not-enough-a-missionary-musing/) - Before coming to Uganda with my wife as missionaries, I served in Singapore for 2 ½ years. Singapore was the first place where I served as a long term missionary. Given that Singapore is well developed, you would think it was easy for me to transit, right? Unfortunately, my experience was far from smooth. My
- [How much data Youtube video use?](https://clifftam.com/much-data-youtube-video-use/) - [adinserter block="1"] In Uganda, there is no such thing as unlimited bandwidth (there is but you have to pay a lot!). In the first few months I was very conscious of how much data we use. The strict rule in the house is no Youtube video because it uses up a lot of data. I've
- [How to extend your laptop's battery life](https://clifftam.com/extend-battery-life-laptop/) - If you have a laptop, I am sure you face this all the time. You need to extend your battery life so you can squeeze a report out or finish a paper. There are no plugs around and you didn’t bring your cable. At the same time your battery is dying. So how can you
- [Don’t assume Photoshop auto functions can make your photos better](https://clifftam.com/dont-assume-photoshop-auto-functions-can-make-your-photos-better/) - Whenever I take a photo, I would use the Auto Tune, Auto Contrast and Auto Color functions in Photoshop to make the image looks better. However, lately, I realize that the auto level might not make my pictures look better. Here are some original photos and compare with how they like after Photoshop. I like the original
- [Home...](https://clifftam.com/home/) - It has been a while since I updated my blog. Things are a bit busy lately in Uganda. The Bible School had a graduation last month. School will begin again in January. In the mean time, Wai Jia and I with the local pastor is trying to get a number of livelihood projects going.
- [The Most Important Year in a Man's Life](https://clifftam.com/important-year-mans-life/) - Wai Jia and I brought a number of books to Uganda. One of them is Most Important Year in a Woman's Life, The/The Most Important Year in a Man's Life by Robert and Bobbie Wolgemuth. The whole premise of this book is to emphasize the first year of marriage as the most important investment for the
- [Parable of the Good Samaritan in Uganda](https://clifftam.com/parable-good-samaritan-in-uganda/) - "Cliff, I think there is a man lying on the road." Wai Jia said this morning as we were driving to church. Last month I preached on loving your neighbours using the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10). I ended off the sermon describing how I avoided someone who needed help with his car
- [How can we have free will if God is Soverign?](https://clifftam.com/how-can-we-have-free-will-if-god-is-soverign/) - If God is Soverign, how can we have free will? If God is in control of everything, doesn't that mean we really don't have free will? How do we answer to that? God is Soverign and He is in control of everything. At the same time, we all have free will and we can make
- [Dress to Impress](https://clifftam.com/dress-to-impress/) - I remember when I was younger, when I was still in University. As a guy, 90% the time we think about is how to impress girls. What to wear. What to say. How to act. In fact, my friend and I bought this eBook on how to get the girl of our dreams. It is
- [My Experience with Prophecy](https://clifftam.com/my-experience-with-prohecy/) - This post will make some Christians feel uncomfortable. I like to talk about my experiences with prophecy. To some Christians, especially Evangelicals, they believe that with the death of the Apostles, certain gifts of the Holy Spirit creased. They are known as Cessationism. If you are Charismatic, you will believe that the gifts ain’t cease
- [Prayer is stupid](https://clifftam.com/prayer-is-stupid/) - Prayer to us is not practical, it is stupid, and until we do see that prayer is stupid, stupid from the ordinary, natural, common sense point of view, we will never pray. But that is what Jesus says He will do. It sounds stupid, but it is a stupidity based on His redemption. The reason
- [IT Guide: Use less Internet bandwidth for iPhones and iPads](https://clifftam.com/it-guide-use-less-internet-bandwidth-for-iphones-and-ipads/) - I wrote two guides on how to use less Internet bandwidth for Windows machine and Android devices. I am learning to use less bandwidth as being in Uganda, Internet is very expensive (1 GB = $15 USD!). My wife uses an iPhone 4 and we have a wifi iPad 2 at home. I will admit
- [IT Guide: Use less Internet bandwidth for Windows 7](https://clifftam.com/use-less-internet-bandwidth-windows-7/) - Compare to Canada and Singapore, Uganda's Internet is expensive. We don't have unlimited data. In order to reduce our cost, I started to configue my computer to use as little bandwidth as possible. There are obvious things I can do such as not watch videos or download big files online. I also configured my Windows
- [IT Guide: General strategies to reduce Internet bandwidth usage](https://clifftam.com/it-guide-general-strategies-to-reduce-internet-bandwidth-usage/) - I wrote a few guides on how to reduce Internet bandwidth usage for specific devices. They are: iOS devices (iPad and iPhone) Android devices (phone and tablet) Windows 7 What I like to add is there are general strategies that can help you use even less bandwidth. You can apply them to regardless of the device (Windows,
- [Taking my medication](https://clifftam.com/taking-my-medication/) - Since my liver transplant in 1991, I've been taking one drug to keep me alive. The drug is called cyclosporine. It is an immunosuppressant drug. For thsoe who are not medically incline, cyclosporine lowers my immune system. Since my body treats the liver as a foriegn host and will try to attack it, cyclosporine
- [God's Ocean of Grace](https://clifftam.com/gods-ocean-of-grace/) - The past few weeks have been a mix of filling out forms, emails, testing systems and a million and one to dos. Just to give a brief update... We came back from a recce trip two weeks ago. Wai Jia wrote a great post on her blog. I am serving with OMF until mid
- [[Quote] Am I becoming more and more in love with God as a Holy God](https://clifftam.com/am-i-becoming-more-and-more-in-love-with-god-as-a-holy-god/) - Am I becoming more and more in love with God as a holy God, or with the conception of an amiable Being who says, “Oh well, sin doesn’t matter much”?Oswald Chambers
- [For the Love of Money](https://clifftam.com/for-the-love-of-money/) - The issue with addiction with money is very hard to detect. Not many people is willing to have such examination of one's heart as the author. We often praise those who make lots of wealth. This probably fuels the addiction. Perhaps we should all examine our own heart once in a while. "I generally think
- [[Quote] Our danger is to water down God's word to suit ourselves](https://clifftam.com/quote-our-danger-is-to-water-down-gods-word-to-suit-ourselves/) - Our danger is to water down God’s word to suit ourselves. God never fits His word to suit me; He fits me to suit His word. Oswald Chambers, Not Knowing Whither, 901 R
- [Marriage Quote from Bonhoeffer](https://clifftam.com/marriage-quote-from-bonhoeffer/) - Marriage is more than your love for each other. It has a higher dignity and power, for it is God's holy ordinance, through which he wills to perpetuate the human race till the end of time. In your love you see only your two selves in the world, but in marriage you are a link
- [Jackie Pullinger's sharing in GO2013](https://clifftam.com/jackie-pullingers-sharing-in-go2013/) - I found this video earlier this week and Wai Jia and I watched it together. We were both moved and learnt a lot regarding missions. A few key I learnt from the video: We can learn how to pray for healing and cast out demons. We need to be very intentional about missions. Are we
- [Coast](https://clifftam.com/coasting/) - On my triathlon bike, I have a computer that measures my cadence, speed and various things. It also measures how long I pedal on my bike. So whenever I go for a long training ride, the time on my watch will measure the total time of my ride. The bike computer will measure the
- [A New Year to Follow the Lord](https://clifftam.com/a-new-year-to-follow-the-lord/) - It must be around 25 when I started to count my age and realize how little time I have left on earth. When I was younger I never thought like this. We all think we will live forever. As one year passes, I realized that time is short. In April, I am turning 34. In
- [First Time Preaching](https://clifftam.com/first-time-preaching/) - Before Christmas we went to India on a ten day mission trip. We were living with an American missionary couple and it was a great experience for us. The lesson to stay flexible is a continuous reminder on this trip. Originally we were supposed to go to visit churches in rural area. We packed
- [Merry Christmas](https://clifftam.com/a-charlie-brown-christmas/) - Wai Jia and I came back from a ten day mission trip before Christmas. We had a great experience and we see how this trip prepared us when we go to Africa for long term mission. Today is Christmas and we watched the Charlie Brown Christmas together. It is so good to see how a
- [The poor you will always have with you](https://clifftam.com/the-poor-you-will-always-have-with-you/) - A while ago during fellowship, someone said, "well Jesus said we will always have the poor." I wasn't sure what we were talking about. Maybe it was about the poor. Then we talked about something else. For the longest time, I felt there’s something not right when it comes to using this line. What does
- [Being In Christ](https://clifftam.com/being-in-christ/) - I wrote this post a few weeks ago. It just took some time to publish it. Today's morning prayer we studied Colossians 2:6-7. Our homework from yesterday was to bring an object that symbolize this passage. As each of us brought different items and explain to others what they stand for, someone brought this
- [Grandma](https://clifftam.com/grandma/) - I lived in Hong Kong until I was eight before my family moved to Canada. Hong Kong has a special place in my heart. I have fond memories of my relatives and cousins gathering together during Chinese New Year and other holidays. For Christmas, I would stay at my grandparents (my mother's side). They would
- [[Wed Q&A] How did you and Wai Jia meet and end up marrying so fast?](https://clifftam.com/wed-qa-how-did-you-and-wai-jia-meet-and-end-up-marrying-so-fast/) - How did you and Wai Jia meet and end up marrying so fast? Would love to hear your love story, if possible! To be honest, it wasn’t as fast as you think. Many people watched our video of how we got together and thought it was amazing. But in actual fact, we wrote to each
- [A Boat Bobbing in an Ocean](https://clifftam.com/a-boat-bobbing-in-an-ocean/) - For the past few weeks, many people inquired about the future of my wive and me. My role with OMF is for two years. I decided to renew for six more months to finish up some of the projects that I am involve in. I can say, the next few weeks and months will be
- [[Wed Q&A] How do you know what you do is something that God has paved for you](https://clifftam.com/wed-qa-how-do-you-know-what-you-do-is-something-that-god-has-paved-for-you/) - When becoming a missionary, I know that it is something that we are all called to, more or less, but how do you know what you do is something that God has paved for you? For example, why this place? Why that long? Why this ministry? Listening to the Holy Spirit and understand God’s way
- [[Wed Q&A] How is your relationship or any relationship able to stay God centered](https://clifftam.com/wed-qa-how-is-your-relationship-or-any-relationship-able-to-stay-god-centered/) - How is your relationship or any relationship able to stay God centered. And how is it possible to live out a life that is truly and wholeheartedly following the Lord. There are so many temptations in the world that it seems like I am so easily sidetracked. My answer might sound like a circular argument.
- [Your faith has to be bigger than your physical body](https://clifftam.com/your-faith-has-to-be-bigger-than-your-physical-body/) - Your faith has to be bigger than your physical body.Ravi Zacharias
- [His Glory or my glory](https://clifftam.com/his-glory-or-my-glory/) - Ever since I got married, one of the things I tried to save time is to iron all my shirts at once. Since it is a mindless activity, I will go to Youtube and listen to a sermon or two. Lately, I've been listening to Ravi Zacharias. Ravi was preaching the temptation of Christ in
- [[Wed Q&A] How do you deal with the large uncertainty in income security that comes with missionary work?](https://clifftam.com/wed-qa-how-do-you-deal-with-the-large-uncertainty-in-income-security-that-comes-with-missionary-work/) - How do you deal with the large uncertainty in income security that comes with missionary work? The reality is that life (even for anyone else) is not truly secure. Jobs are never secure. Economy goes up and down. Government and big companies cut back all the time. Money is never truly secured. No matter how
- [[Quote] Repentance](https://clifftam.com/repentance/) - Repentance is truly happening when you are more concern for God’s name than your own.Chris Wright
- [[Quote] Reponse to sin](https://clifftam.com/reponse-to-sin/) - There are only two responses to sin: repentance or the hardening of the heart. Chris Wright
- [[Quote] Fear God](https://clifftam.com/quote-fear-god/) - The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.Oswald Chambers
- [[Quote] Broken Heart](https://clifftam.com/quote-broken-heart/) - If through a broken heart God can bring His purposes to pass in the world, then thank Him for breaking your heart.Oswald Chambers
- [[Quote] Jesus and Creation Care](https://clifftam.com/quote-jesus-and-creation-care/) - We cannot claim to love God while abusing what belongs to Christ by right of creation, redemption and inheritance. We care for the earth and responsibly use its abundant resources, not according to the rationale of the secular world, but for the Lord's sake. If Jesus is Lord of all the earth, we cannot separate
- [[Wed Q&A] How to put God first in relationships, over physical and emotional desires?](https://clifftam.com/how-to-put-god-first-in-relationships-over-physical-and-emotional-desires/) - How to put God first in relationships, over physical and emotional desires? I am committed to follow Christ regardless of my circumstances. Yes, there are physical and emotional desires or attractions .But I serve the Lord first above all. I told God I rather stay single than to sin. It is a matter of how
- [Taming A Heart of Compassion](https://clifftam.com/taming-a-heart-of-compassion/) - Recently, I come across an article on how the poor in Hong Kong live. In the article, the photographer took an overhead picture to show how cramp the living quarters are. A double bunker bed takes up majority of the room. Walls are cluttered with appliances, food and clothes. The kids at the top bunk
- [[Wed Q&A]How to avoid or give in to temptations that is not gonna help moving on?](https://clifftam.com/how-to-avoid-or-give-in-to-temptations-that-is-not-gonna-help-moving-on/) - The following question asked by one of the youths in my church when we went back to Canada earlier this year. How to avoid or give in to temptations that is not gonna help moving on? The first step is recognizing your own temptations. Is it physical? Is it emotional? Is it what you see
- [Parable of the Pearl of Great Price](https://clifftam.com/parable-of-the-pearl-of-great-price/) - Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.Matthew 13:45-46 NKJV The picture is taken at OMF International Headquarters. If you see closely, you will see that the pearl is actually
- [[Wed Q&A] How to move on from a relationship and forget about the person?](https://clifftam.com/how-to-move-on-from-a-relationship-and-forget-about-the-person/) - I received a number of questions about Jesus, faith and relationships. I've decided every Wednesday I will post one Question and Answer (Q&A). Wai Jia and I went back to Canada in June and we received a few questions from the youth in my church about relationship. I will start with those and see where
- [[Geek] Embedding Youtube videos are slowing down my site](https://clifftam.com/embedding-youtube-videos-are-slowing-down-my-site/) - On Friday, I did a speed test on my website. This was my score. Compare to when I just launched my site, there was a huge increase in requests, load time and page size. Obviously the site at that time had no content. It was fast and speedy. As I dig deeper, I
- [Making it Count for Life](https://clifftam.com/making-it-count-for-life/) - This article is written by my wife, Tam Wai Jia. It is posted at National Family Council (NFC). NFC promotes family matters in Singapore. All my life, I (Wai Jia) never had a boyfriend. When I was 24, I was certain I would not get married. After all, I was headstrong and fiercely independent.
- [The Great Porn Experiment](https://clifftam.com/the-great-porn-experiment/) - If pornography addiction is just like drug addiction, I wonder if the church can help porn addicts recover just as we do with drug addicts. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSF82AwSDiU
- [Between knees and tears](https://clifftam.com/between-knees-and-tears/) - I had a revelation a few weeks ago. It came after praying with much fear and tribulation. I usually don’t pray on my knees. I only do so when I really need to hear from the Lord. One time after such prayers, I had the following thoughts... How come I always have to beg the
- [Godly Sorrow](https://clifftam.com/godly-sorrow/) - Read the Gospel enough times and you will find that Jesus rarely gives a straight answer. Jesus often teaches in parables and even His disciples didn’t understand what He was saying (Mark 4, Parable of the Sower). When Pharisees and teachers of the law challenged Jesus with a question, He often responded back with a
- [[Video] The Incoherence of Atheism and Jesus Among Other Gods](https://clifftam.com/the-incoherence-of-atheism-and-jesus-among-other-gods/) - Today, I came across two Youtube videos from Ravi Zacharias. The Incoherence of Atheism Ravi Zacharias unpacks the fault in atheism. Normal apologetics discussion tends to be heavy intellectual. If you know who Ravi, you know he is no exception. What I found different in this talk is how Ravi grips me the emotional darkness
- [Finish Strong with the One You Love](https://clifftam.com/finish-strong-with-the-one-you-love/) - Yesterday, Wai Jia and I completed our first triathlon together. We had a great time. It is awesome to be back into doing triathlon. My last triathlon was in 2009. It was great to be out and about. One of my friends in Canada just completed his first Ironman last night as well. The race
- [Friends](https://clifftam.com/friends/) - Some people might hate it and some people might love it but I love Facebook. I love Facebook because I get to catch up with all my friends back in Canada. It is nice to see what they are up to like when my church had their summer retreat or a friend’s wedding. Even
- [Starter and not a Finisher](https://clifftam.com/starter-and-not-a-finisher/) - Work's network is down and so I am writing this blog via my phone. A few years ago, I was an avid blogger. But lately, I found it very difficult to write a blog. Actually, I would start but the it will never make it to the point when I click Publish. Yesterday as
- [Taking food pics](https://clifftam.com/taking-food-pics/) - For those who enjoying taking pictures of their food. :)

## Pages

- [Cliff Tam | Transplant Survivor, Triathlete & Missionary Dad](https://clifftam.com/) - Discover Cliff Tam’s Christian journey—faith, endurance, and discipleship from a liver transplant survivor, triathlete, and missionary.
- [About Cliff](https://clifftam.com/about-cliff/) - Learn more about Cliff Tam — missionary, writer, father, cancer survivor, and tech enthusiast living in Tanzania. Reflections on faith, family, missions, and everyday life.
- [Test](https://clifftam.com/test/) - This is a test…asdfadsf
- [Blog](https://clifftam.com/blog/) - Reflections on Christian fatherhood, discipleship, family life, faith, and missions. Practical thoughts from a dad learning to follow Christ and raise children in faith.
- [Contact Cliff](https://clifftam.com/contact/) - Contact Cliff If you like to get in touch with me, please leave a message. Name Email Phone number Message Send
- [Part 1.1 - Two Questions Parents Need to Address](https://clifftam.com/discipleship-from-within/part-1-two-questions-parents-need-to-address/) - If you want your children to be Christian, you must help them address these two questions: who is God, and who are they?
- [Introduction to Discipleship from Within](https://clifftam.com/discipleship-from-within/introduction/) - I am not naturally drawn to children. But everything changed when my firstborn was born on February 1, 2017. As I held her in my arms, a flow of unexpressed joy and hope overwhelmed my heart. The birth of my firstborn opened my heart to loving children. The Holy Spirit prompted me to write this
- [Discipleship from Within](https://clifftam.com/discipleship-from-within/) - BIBLICAL PARENTHOOD AS A ROLE MODEL TO DISCIPLE THE NEXT GENERATION This is the thesis I've written for my Master of Divinity. I am still working on uploading this to my website :) Thesis Summary Known as the “missing gap,” many children who attended the children’s program at church consistently do not attend church when
- [Part 1.2 - Passing the Gospel to the next Generation](https://clifftam.com/discipleship-from-within/part-1-2-passing-the-gospel-to-the-next-generation/)
- [Part 1.3 - Role of the Father In Discipleship](https://clifftam.com/discipleship-from-within/part-1-3-role-of-the-father/)
- [Part 2 - How to Apply Biblical Parenthood](https://clifftam.com/discipleship-from-within/part-2-1-applying-biblical-parenthood/) - We can apply Biblical Parenthood daily by being conscious of how we interact with our children. Discipleship happens when we live with our children.
- [Part 2.4 - Treating Family as a Church](https://clifftam.com/discipleship-from-within/part-2-4-treating-family-as-a-church/) - In the lecture for the course Historical Books (OTS 601), Rev. Daniel Caram described David as gently guiding the flock mentioned in Psalm 78:70–72 (Historical Books). This description of David applies to parenting. Bailey also described David as a shepherd who gave special attention to the ewes because they were young (Bailey, David and Solomon
- [Part 2.3 - Viewing Children as the Mission Field](https://clifftam.com/discipleship-from-within/part-2-3-viewing-children-as-the-mission-field/) - Viewing Children as the Mission Field The Great Commission commands us to make disciples (Matt. 28:18–20). What if we see our children as the mission field? It may sound strange, but the reality is that when they are born, they do not know Jesus. The question then becomes, how can I share Christ with them?
- [Part 2.2 - Applying Biblical Parenthood](https://clifftam.com/discipleship-from-within/part-2-2-applying-biblical-parenthood/) - One of the other problems I’ve encountered in our fast-paced lifestyle is how difficult it is to effectively disciple my children when I am busy and on the go. When I rush from one point to another, running errands and checking off my to-do list, I don’t have time to pause and disciple my children.
- [Part 1 - What is Biblical Parenting](https://clifftam.com/discipleship-from-within/part-1-what-is-biblical-parenting/) - Biblical parenthood is a parenting methodology rooted in the Bible, where Jesus Christ is the centre.
- [Conclusion](https://clifftam.com/discipleship-from-within/conclusion/) - Surveys of US and Canadian churches reveal an issue with the church’s method of discipling the next generation. Despite the vast amount of children’s programs and resources, those who grow up in the church are leaving the church as they grow up. In my thesis, I argue that one of the changes the church can