A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Rafael.
They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.
When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.” The young man held out his package. “I know this isn’t much. I’m not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.”
The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears.
He thanked the young man and offered to pay for the picture. “Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift.”
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.
The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings.
Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son.
The auctioneer pounded his gavel. “We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?”
There was silence, then a voice in the back of the room shouted, “We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.”
But the auctioneer persisted, “Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?”
Another voice shouted angrily, “We didn’t come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!”
But still the auctioneer continued, “The son! The son! Who’ll take the son?”
Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. “I’ll give $10 for the painting.” Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.
“We have $10, who will bid $20?”
“Give it to him for $10. Let’s see the masters.”
“$10 is the bid, won’t someone bid $20?” The crowd was becoming angry. They didn’t want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel.
“Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!”
A man sitting on the second row shouted, “Now let’s get on with the collection!”
The auctioneer laid down his gavel, “I’m sorry, the auction is over.”
“What about the paintings?”
“I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!”
God gave his son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, “The son, the son, who’ll take the son?” Because you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Who will take the Son?
Friday, September 14, 2007
Our Last Meeting...
ATOMIC had our first meeting last Thursday, the 13th in C204. Although there were only two new members and the excos who attended the meeting(we had hopes of a classroom packed with enthusiastic new faces), we had a lot of fun this time around.
Among the highlight of the meeting is the "Spelling of MISSISIPPI" as punishment for the icebreaking session we had. All who were present had to the find the person in a list which fit a certain criteria i.e. 'Speaks a language you don't understand', 'Name starts with the letter C', etc. After 10 mins, unfortunately, the "KERUSI" and three others were the only people who did not complete their list. And as punishment, they had to spell MISSISIPPI. No, it wasn't using any pen/pencil/stationery......the had to use their butts! Ha!
Oh yes, one more announcement people...pre-ICG(Inter-Campus Gathering) is coming up on the 29th of this month(September) at the Church of Holy Family, Kajang. Pre-ICG is actually a great chance for us to know what ICG is all about and make new friends from the other CSSes. We will be gathering in front of UCSI guard house at 8am on Saturday and grab the shuttle bus to the Bandar Tasik Selatan train station. For the fees, oh dun worry...it's minimal at about RM5 just to pay for your lunch and tea.
Below is the schedule for the day...
9.00 - 10.00 Arrival & Registration
10.00 - 10.20 Opening Prayer & Opening Address
10.20 - 10.45 Praise & Worship
10.45 - 12.00 Talk / Workshop I
"What is Freedom / The Church's Stand on Freedom"
12.00 - 12.15 Q & A
12.15 - 1.15 Lunch
1.15 - 2.00 Games / Ice Breaking
2.00 - 3.00 Talk / Workshop II
"Morality in Freedom How do I use my freedom"
3.00 - 3.15 Q & A
3.15 - 3.30 Sing Along / Break
3.30 - 4.30 Talk / Workshop III
"Freedom of Religion / Living as a Catholic in a multi-religion nation"
4.30 - 4.45pm Q & A
4.45 - 5.00pm Tea Break
5.00 - 5.20pm Reflection
5.20 - 5.45pm Presentation
5.45 - 6.00pm Closing Address & Annoucement
6.00 - 6.15pm Thanksgiving praise
6.15pm Pictures and byes
One jam-packed day eh? Well, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us by email, or just stop anyone of us in college. Gonna see you there, ok?!
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Orientation Day!
Footsteps leading to the ATOMIC booth
The "kerusi" trying to energise the crowd with a small ice-breaking session
After a long day, CSS of UCSI welcomes......TEN NEW MEMBERS! Woohoo....welcome....welcome!
And there was time for one last photo....
Tada! The end.
