People born in the year of the Rooster with the earthly element of Metal, are usually very observant. They are brave, resilient and tenacious but can also be quite self-absorbed, pretentious, and overly romantic. Most of the time, they are very accurate and precise with their observation.

These people certainly love to find themselves in the spotlight, they love entertaining friends and adore meeting new people, and even unexpected and uncertain circumstances are not a barrier for them.

It is almost impossible to find someone born in this year looking dowdy or untidy. The fact is that these people are usually the best dressed and groomed of all other people. They are actively interested in clothes, colours, and accessories, and are usually very critical of their own appearance as well as of the appearance of those around them. People born in the year of the Rooster like to be noticed and flattered. Such a person might dress a little flashily with this in mind, but in his heart, he/she is completely conservative. Roosters always appear attractive and beautifully turned out. They are sociable and love to receive attention. Others may criticize them for being exhibitionists but the fact that they are compassionate, wise, and have a brave nature which comes to the fore when others need their help, makes up that deficiency.

They are always devoted to their work and have a reputation for being the hardest of workers. Rooster People are deep thinkers and are pioneers in spirit. They can experience the greatest of joy in complete solitude. Even though often alone, they rarely experience loneliness. Instead, they enjoy their own company and feel solitude helps them in their quest after knowledge.

Shark-tail Soup and fortune cookies are among the keys to good health.

It is difficult for these people to accept advice because of their strong independent spirit. These people are often confident in their own judgements and choices. There are times when these people may be too straight-forward which can cause some problems in relationships with others. So it would be wise sometimes not to express their opinions in order to keep the peace.

The Metal Rooster is extraordinarily talented. Of all twelve Zodiac signs, this one is probably the most high-minded of them all, with a very clean line of thought. The Metal Roosters can distinguish right from wrong very clearly and it doesn't matter which direction they pursue, they always wind up going the right way. If they confront a maze, or big problem, they will immediately see a solution because of their analytical, logical way of thinking. Through their perseverance, any hurricane becomes an orderly thing of beauty, just like that! When it's time for romance, the male Metal Rooster has no trouble at all, love just abounds; the female has a tendency to keep to herself, making connections less freely, but lastingly when they happen.

The ideal job for a rooster is a Doctor, Lawyer, Actuary, Insurance Agent, Musician, Dentist, Accountant, Dancer or Actor.

The Masks In Our Lives.

    Looking at how many relationships ended in divorces or broken relationships (ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend),  It makes me wonder why many people say that the person who they are with were a great person, but after getting to really know them they are totally different and almost a complete polar opposite of who they once were that their boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse fell in love with in the beginning.  But this doesn't need to be applied in just two contexts, we could also extend this to general friendship and any other people we may meet in our lives.

I realized that the reason why it is so difficult for many people are because of the masks they wear in life.  This is caused by not only the secular world but also because of our sins and weaknesses in our life.  An example would be in the dating context, when we first meet another person whom we are interested in, we do what is called the "one-toe-dip test" where similar to testing the water in any places to see if its too hot or cold to jump in, we use this also to see what the other party's reactions would be.  We may or may not realize this on a conscience level, but we do it subconsciously because we all wear masks in our lives and we do so to get a rough idea of what the other party would be thinking of us.  If that person accepts us for what we have said or that our words carry some weight to what is being talked about then we would feel a little accepted with that person.

This is true also when your dating someone for the first time, everyone gets dressed up a bit and try to look the best for the other person they wanted to impress.  We make sure our clothes look nice on us, that we look presentable to them and that we are trying to see if we can "sell" ourselves to the other person, as if we were a salesman trying to sell a product to a consumer.  Both of these situations we would try to push our best selves forward by acting as professional and as sophisticated as possible with our best attitudes and best behaviours first and foremost.  We do this to try and attract that other person's attention and see how they would react.  Normally once that first phase is complete, we take off one of our masks that each of us wear. (I believe that each mask in our lives are the sins and the level of its intensity in our lives, and how each sin in our life makes us look less presentable if fully revealed, with the thicker masks closer to our face and the thinnest masks furthest from our face) 

But taking off one of the masks are not enough for us to really know what the person is really like personally, so then we start to get into this "getting-to-know-each-other-phase" where we slowly reveal our true selves to each other in a time span, and that the more we get to know each other the more the masks we take off.  But the thing I have noticed is that people who rush into a relationship, and/or rush into marriage before spending this time to really know the other person is most likely to end up with a broken heart, a broken relationship or a marriage that ends up in divorce.  Why?  This is because if a couple were to jump into a relationship suddenly and take off all the masks in such a short period of time, it may not allow us to be ready and prepared to receive the shock of our lives.

We know that both parties are both humans and that none of us are ever perfect in our lives.  Each of us have sins and weaknesses in our lives and it is these sins and weaknesses that cause us to be 'ugly' before the eyes of others, it is these things that we are ashamed of and that if we brought forward into the light for the other person to see they may not be able to accept that for who we really are.  But if we do take the time to really get to know the other person then it would be easier for each party to accept each other for who they really are.  It is beneficial that we spend a few months or years getting to know the other person whom we like, because it is in this crucial time that we get to see the person for who they really are in different environments and situations in their own life.

There will come a point in every relationship that once a certain amount of masks are removed, (depending on how many sins and weaknesses that you may have) there will be a turning point in that relationship that will tell you that if you revealed that truth to the other person, that they will either accept you for who you really are and that they want to continue to go on with the relationship with you.  Or be so turned off by it that they would no longer want to continue the relationship and would rather end the relationship there and then instead of continuing.  If that other person chooses to continue to accept you for who you are inspite of your weaknesses and sins and flaws in your own self and vice-versa, then you know that anything else revealed will no longer be as difficult to accept about that person.  Your marriage to that person would have a higher chance of lasting and surviving the hard times in your marriage life, but I'm not saying its going to be a perfect marriage, but that it would be easier to help each other strengthen the other since you both know where the other was coming from in the beginning when they first shared it with you.

My personal prayer is that each of you (including myself) would constantly try to improve ourselves first and for us to work out our own individual sins with God before hand so it would be easier to share about what God has done in our lives when we do meet that special someone in the future.  And that we would have less masks to wear, making it easier for the other person to know who we really are in the first place, with less problems that will come into the relationship later on.

Spiritual Immaturity?

    So 2007 is offically here now, a fresh start, the next chapter in our life.  I'm not sure if everyone did a New Year's Resolution or not; I know many times people wouldn't really make one because they never keep it, or if they do make one in less then 2 to 3 weeks into January they stop doing it all together.  This is one of my many resolutions that I have made and plan to keep, sure many others may come and go, but it is this one I truly want to keep - To grow more spritually in my walk with Christ Jesus.

    How can I accomplish that task that I have set out in front of me?  First it is by prayer and continuing fellowship with God, to do my daily devotions and to continually humble myself and lay my life at his feet.  But it is not just doing those things alone that will help you grow more spiritually, anyone can do those things but there is much more to it then just those things mentioned.  I remember in the final few months of 2006 I wanted to make sure that 2007 was a year of truly dedicating myself to God.  To make sure that whatever things that I may have in 2006 that there would be closure to them, that if they weren't dealt with then, then I would be bringing them into 2007.  I will be stepping up this year and co-leading TUNA at Fraserlands, and I know God will show me a lot of things as a leader.  I will be continuing with my Discipleship Internatonal classes (Book 3 of 6), and will continue to help lead / organize my Men's Group.  All of these will help me grow more in my spiritual maturity and I thank God for it. 

    But my question now is to the readers, does your 2007 resolution have anything to do with your spiritual walk with God?  Has there been any difference in your spiritual life? Or are you just feeling the same as you did last year?  If you do feel the same, why do you feel that way?

    I'm sure everyone may have different reasons to those questions, but I just wanted encourage you all to focus on God first this year, try to continue to have him first in every aspect of your life.

Matthew 6:33 - But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

We need to deny ourselves and do what God's will is in our lives.

Mark 8:34 - Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

And not be ashamed of him and the gospel that we are called to preach to everyone.

Mark 8:38 - If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

We are all God's holy people and a holy temple for him to dwell in us.

Ephesians 2:19-22 - Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

God also call us to crave Spritiual milk like newborn babies, and that the spiritual milk is the word of God the bible.

1 Peter 2:2-3 - Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

    So if we are following God's will and growing in our spritiual maturity then we are being mature in our lives, but then the opposite would be true also.  If we are not doing God's will and not growing in our spiritual walk with him, are we being "Spiritually Immature"?  Are we like little kids who refuse to let go of our small "toys" in our lives and give it to God when he finally asks for it from our lives?  God wants the best for us in our lives, and as a father will sometimes discipline us if we are being disobedient to him.  As parents on earth have to teach their kids from right and wrong, so God also teaches us from the good and evil of the world.  We need to listen and obey God's words, not because its a bunch of rules and regulations, but it is the way we are all called to live our lives.  When you begin to understand God's will and his way more, what you perceive to be rules and regulations that are a pain to follow, will no longer feel that way and you will be more likely to live a life like that of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Some of us may be falling away from God, but remember this warning that God gave to us.

Hebrews 5:11-14

Warning Against Falling Away

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

And finally I want to leave you all with this passage from God that each of us are called to obedience to God's will.

2 John 1:6, 8-9 - And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. .

Blessings in our Lord Jesus Christ to each and everyone of you - Eric