In my last entry, I left off wondering if I was really such a pathetic, worthless creature. And that Christmas wasn't really about goodwill to all man, peace of earth, etc. Rather, the picture I was left with was one of gloom and sorrow, of hopelessness.
Because to me, this Christmas period (and the post-Christmas period too) has indeed been a season clouded with negativity. It wasn't a time of festive cheer or jubilant singing. To add on to that, the huge earthquake which triggered off towering tsunamis only added pain and loss to thousands. Many will be spending their new year ploughing through what's left of their belongings, looking for glimpses of hope where there might be none, grieving over the death of loved ones and wondering how life can go on... All of this brings a gloom to a traditionally "festive" period. Also, one's left humbled at the power of nature, of God's creation, of God's wrath.
Yes, Christmas doesn't begin with joy. It begins with recognising the pitiful state of humanity and knowing that hope doesn't lie in humanity itself. How can Man produce hope when everything in this world is subjetive? Heard of the phrase, "one man's meat is another man's poison"? Subjectivity has left us with grasping thin air, leaving us with nothing concrete, nothing trustworthy.
That's possibly one reason why new year resolutions seldom work. The hope of keeping at these resolutions just fades away with time. So what's left? What's absolute in this world?
Jesus Christ. His power, His righteousness, His love. His Birth, His Death, His Resurrection.
Therefore, in these closing days of 2004, should I look to the future or should I look to the past? Or should I just concentrate on the present? The answer to my questions, I have learnt, lie not in the time frame itself, but on the One who put me through those joys and hardships in those time frames.
So, yes I will look to the future--to the various oppurtunites God has placed in my path to glorify Him. And yes, I will look to the past--only to ask for forgiveness of my stupidity and to pray that I'll learn from them. And yes, I'll look at the present--taking each day at a time, worshiping Him and proclaiming the gospel in speech and in lifestyle.
Come 2005, come. A new year, new challenges but the same faithful God.
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Sunday, December 26, 2004
Christmas is over...
Christmas is over. What next?
That seems to be the main theme in most of the comics in yesterday's Straits Times. And indeed, this question remains? What next? Continued partying? More drinking? Even more useless resolutions? And besides all of that, there is always the predictable "10/20/50 best ____ of 2004" or "10/20/50 worst _____ of 2004" lists in newspapers and magazines. (fill in the blanks yourself)
That's post-Christmas "traditions" for you.
This year, part of me wishes to put the whole year behind me and just look forward to the future. The other part of me wants to look to history, to think, to reflect... and if left uncontrolled, to wallow in self-pity. I often wonder if I'm the only one who feels this way or whether there are others like me out there?
Am I that pathetic? Hopeless? Worthless? Romans 3:10-18 seems to say so... "[10] There is no one righteous, not even one; [11] there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. [12]All have turned away, they have together become worthless.... [18] There is no fear of God before their eyes." Harsh words. Painful words even... Isn't God a God of Comfort? A God who's supposed to be there for me? I mean, He sent baby Jesus didn't He? He sent Jesus to save ME right? Why does He then tell me that I'm, I'm... worthless?! Worse still, in that passage of Romans, He says that out of my lips comes the poison of vipers! What?!
This isn't what Christmas/post-Christmast is about! ....... Or is it?
That seems to be the main theme in most of the comics in yesterday's Straits Times. And indeed, this question remains? What next? Continued partying? More drinking? Even more useless resolutions? And besides all of that, there is always the predictable "10/20/50 best ____ of 2004" or "10/20/50 worst _____ of 2004" lists in newspapers and magazines. (fill in the blanks yourself)
That's post-Christmas "traditions" for you.
This year, part of me wishes to put the whole year behind me and just look forward to the future. The other part of me wants to look to history, to think, to reflect... and if left uncontrolled, to wallow in self-pity. I often wonder if I'm the only one who feels this way or whether there are others like me out there?
Am I that pathetic? Hopeless? Worthless? Romans 3:10-18 seems to say so... "[10] There is no one righteous, not even one; [11] there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. [12]All have turned away, they have together become worthless.... [18] There is no fear of God before their eyes." Harsh words. Painful words even... Isn't God a God of Comfort? A God who's supposed to be there for me? I mean, He sent baby Jesus didn't He? He sent Jesus to save ME right? Why does He then tell me that I'm, I'm... worthless?! Worse still, in that passage of Romans, He says that out of my lips comes the poison of vipers! What?!
This isn't what Christmas/post-Christmast is about! ....... Or is it?
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
God's world, God's work, God's way, God's Word
It's been a long time... Kinda miss the screen that's facing me now; the white space inviting me to pen my thoughts to share with the world. To share about how, despite my terrible sins and worthlessness, God still loves me. His judgement comes upon me only because He wants what's best for me. And behind the judgement and discipline comes the heart of a Father wanting to redeem this lost child of his... me.
I'm reminded of why I chose "Humbled Servant Adopted" as my Blog Title. Read the top of the page...
After my GB camp (26/11-29/11) came Church camp (6/12-9/12). After Church camp came NTU/NIE CF camp (13/12-16/12). And after all that, I'm now focusing on the Christmas Service (just 3 days away) in my church.
After everything, I must say that life has changed. Many things learnt and apart from bible lessons, I'm still learning about love... What is godly love? How do I love others? Why can't I love? The love of God... The more I think about the extent of God's love for me, the more I realise how wretched a person I am. Yes, wretched... I'm beginning to understand why John Newton used this word to describe himself in his wonderful hymn, "Amazing Grace".
I know this blog seems a tad bit negative, if you take into account that this is the "festive, tralala period" of Christmas (or as the World calls it, X'mas... I hate it when they use that). But hey, this December period so far has been filled with pain, tears, anger, joy and laughter for me. As you can see, I've experienced a myriad of emotions and I pray that at the end of it all, I'll learn the lessons God wants me to learn.
So what can I share after all of my chatter above? Just an adapted quote from Pastor Chris Chia with regards to the purpose of Man, the reason for Man's existence:
"We've all been placed in GOD's world, to do GOD's work, GOD's way; drawing guidance from GOD's Word"
Blessed Christmas everyone :)
I'm reminded of why I chose "Humbled Servant Adopted" as my Blog Title. Read the top of the page...
After my GB camp (26/11-29/11) came Church camp (6/12-9/12). After Church camp came NTU/NIE CF camp (13/12-16/12). And after all that, I'm now focusing on the Christmas Service (just 3 days away) in my church.
After everything, I must say that life has changed. Many things learnt and apart from bible lessons, I'm still learning about love... What is godly love? How do I love others? Why can't I love? The love of God... The more I think about the extent of God's love for me, the more I realise how wretched a person I am. Yes, wretched... I'm beginning to understand why John Newton used this word to describe himself in his wonderful hymn, "Amazing Grace".
I know this blog seems a tad bit negative, if you take into account that this is the "festive, tralala period" of Christmas (or as the World calls it, X'mas... I hate it when they use that). But hey, this December period so far has been filled with pain, tears, anger, joy and laughter for me. As you can see, I've experienced a myriad of emotions and I pray that at the end of it all, I'll learn the lessons God wants me to learn.
So what can I share after all of my chatter above? Just an adapted quote from Pastor Chris Chia with regards to the purpose of Man, the reason for Man's existence:
"We've all been placed in GOD's world, to do GOD's work, GOD's way; drawing guidance from GOD's Word"
Blessed Christmas everyone :)
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Back
Got home the day before... boy was the trip physically tiring...
The night hikes and stream trotting experiences were challenging to the girls. Therefore, part of my job was to move up and down the line of 40 girls helping them get over obstacles, come down steep and wet slopes without falling, etc. However, I have to say it was kinda fun. Kinda.
Thank God that Ps 23 went well. It was a different experience teaching about the Bible in front of non-Christians as well. Keeping Christian jargon out of what I was saying was a challenge. However, I think my first experience of "preaching" was not too bad. Psalm 23 ministered to me as well, though I must say that to use this Psalm to pray and to mean it with all my heart... that's a tough one.
Oh well, now, I pray for wisdom as I guide some of the youth leaders going up for next week's church camp to investigate the Book of 1 Jn and to uncover the treasures it holds.
The night hikes and stream trotting experiences were challenging to the girls. Therefore, part of my job was to move up and down the line of 40 girls helping them get over obstacles, come down steep and wet slopes without falling, etc. However, I have to say it was kinda fun. Kinda.
Thank God that Ps 23 went well. It was a different experience teaching about the Bible in front of non-Christians as well. Keeping Christian jargon out of what I was saying was a challenge. However, I think my first experience of "preaching" was not too bad. Psalm 23 ministered to me as well, though I must say that to use this Psalm to pray and to mean it with all my heart... that's a tough one.
Oh well, now, I pray for wisdom as I guide some of the youth leaders going up for next week's church camp to investigate the Book of 1 Jn and to uncover the treasures it holds.
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Away
Going to help out in a GB camp tomorrow. Yes, you read it right... I'm gonna help out in a GB (Girl's Brigade) camp :p No biggy though. I'm just there to help ensure safety, first aid, etc. However, I have been given a task to share/preach on Psalm 23-- to me, the most famous, most often-quoted and most often MIS-quoted psalm in the Bible.
For reference sake, here's the Psalm:
I pray that God will give me wisdom to share from His Word faithfully and accurately. Also that I'll know how to share the gospel from this Psalm. Well, here I go... later...
For reference sake, here's the Psalm:
Psalm 23
[1] The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not be in want.
[2] He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
[3] he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
[4] Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
[5] You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
[6] Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
I pray that God will give me wisdom to share from His Word faithfully and accurately. Also that I'll know how to share the gospel from this Psalm. Well, here I go... later...
Monday, November 22, 2004
Wounded Healer
A fellow sister-in-Christ shared her testimony in church yesterday. Battling a psychological disorder, she banked on God's faithfullness and mercy, askinging God for healing. God, in all his mercy, did heal her. God's grace, she said, was the only reason she pressed on in her uphill climb during therapy. Now, she serves in the music ministry, among other ministries, in Bethesda (Frankel Estate) church.
One phrase she mentioned stuck in my mind... "Wounded Healer". She likened this phrase to herself as she's now a trained counsellor to help and guide others like her on this healing process. She went through the path of pain and suffering, to serve as a witness to how God can work miraculously and to better encourage others who are like her.
This phrase made me think... are the times of trial and pain in our lives also there to make us wounded healers? Having gone through similar paths before, are our trials put there to enable us to encourage those who are on the same path we once tread? To give us a better understanding of how to direct people to Christ, the ultimate healer, in that situation? I personally think they are.
Thinking about Christ himself... he went through tremendous pain. He shed blood. He was wounded for our transgressions. Christ was made like us in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest. So that he might make atonement for our sins. (Heb 2:17) He went through all that, all the suffering, so that He (the Son of the Almighty God) can help us... what amazing grace.
I'm learning day by day, that this is how we look to Christ in the midst of our suffering. To keep our eyes on the author and perfector of our faith. For it is only through Him that the suffering and pain in this world seem less significant. I can't say that I've learnt this lesson well. In fact, I'm still learning it right now... through the hard way...
There will be times when the pain seems too much to bear. Times when you just sit down and stare blankly at the wall, wondering... why? Nights when you look up at the ceiling wanting to sleep-- to escape the thoughts running through your mind, but yet, sleep eludes you. Times when you wish you had someone to talk to but nobody is free and you feel all alone. There will be times like these... I know, I'm going through them now.
But its at times like these that we need to look to the ultimate Wounded Healer, Jesus Christ. He has come down to us and continues to look out for us, to guide us, to intercede for us. On our part, do we look to Him? I hope we all learn to.
One phrase she mentioned stuck in my mind... "Wounded Healer". She likened this phrase to herself as she's now a trained counsellor to help and guide others like her on this healing process. She went through the path of pain and suffering, to serve as a witness to how God can work miraculously and to better encourage others who are like her.
This phrase made me think... are the times of trial and pain in our lives also there to make us wounded healers? Having gone through similar paths before, are our trials put there to enable us to encourage those who are on the same path we once tread? To give us a better understanding of how to direct people to Christ, the ultimate healer, in that situation? I personally think they are.
Thinking about Christ himself... he went through tremendous pain. He shed blood. He was wounded for our transgressions. Christ was made like us in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest. So that he might make atonement for our sins. (Heb 2:17) He went through all that, all the suffering, so that He (the Son of the Almighty God) can help us... what amazing grace.
I'm learning day by day, that this is how we look to Christ in the midst of our suffering. To keep our eyes on the author and perfector of our faith. For it is only through Him that the suffering and pain in this world seem less significant. I can't say that I've learnt this lesson well. In fact, I'm still learning it right now... through the hard way...
There will be times when the pain seems too much to bear. Times when you just sit down and stare blankly at the wall, wondering... why? Nights when you look up at the ceiling wanting to sleep-- to escape the thoughts running through your mind, but yet, sleep eludes you. Times when you wish you had someone to talk to but nobody is free and you feel all alone. There will be times like these... I know, I'm going through them now.
But its at times like these that we need to look to the ultimate Wounded Healer, Jesus Christ. He has come down to us and continues to look out for us, to guide us, to intercede for us. On our part, do we look to Him? I hope we all learn to.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Monday, November 01, 2004
Missed
Missed
The cool wind across my cheek,
comforting, familiar, caressing;
It knows me, greets me as an old friend.
Memory after memory it carries—
The pain, the tears and the hurt.
But sweeter is the love, joy and laughter.
I smile.
With eyes closed, I hear the music it brings
wave after wave, I listen—
Tender whispers and jubilant singing,
Stirring anthems and uplifting songs;
my feet dance to melodious lines.
Then… silence.
The rustling leaves still, the whistles cease,
Incompleteness rings throughout.
It leaves behind a bloom on my shoulder,
A parting gift?
I wait; I listen; a tear...
It is missed.
comforting, familiar, caressing;
It knows me, greets me as an old friend.
Memory after memory it carries—
The pain, the tears and the hurt.
But sweeter is the love, joy and laughter.
I smile.
With eyes closed, I hear the music it brings
wave after wave, I listen—
Tender whispers and jubilant singing,
Stirring anthems and uplifting songs;
my feet dance to melodious lines.
Then… silence.
The rustling leaves still, the whistles cease,
Incompleteness rings throughout.
It leaves behind a bloom on my shoulder,
A parting gift?
I wait; I listen; a tear...
It is missed.
P.S. I wrote the above poem in a time of pain and distress. Looking at it, friends are saying I should hand it in for some competition or something... anyone any thoughts? Would love to hear them... Pls do fill in your comments...
Friday, October 29, 2004
Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz
Hope Isaiah gave a nick-name to his son... this I think, could be the longest name in the Bible...
"Then I (Isaiah) went to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said to me, "Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz."
I came upon this verse from a Reverend Fun toon I saw. Click here to take a look.
Not coincidentally, learnt in BSF this week that Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz was born to Isaiah (as well as Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz's brother Shear-Jashub) as a sign to their generation of God's promise about a virgin conceiving.
Just a corny scenerio I had in mind... Imagine Isaiah saying this to his son... "Oi! Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz! *pant pant* Dinner's ready!" :p
"Then I (Isaiah) went to the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. And the Lord said to me, "Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz."
I came upon this verse from a Reverend Fun toon I saw. Click here to take a look.
Not coincidentally, learnt in BSF this week that Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz was born to Isaiah (as well as Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz's brother Shear-Jashub) as a sign to their generation of God's promise about a virgin conceiving.
Just a corny scenerio I had in mind... Imagine Isaiah saying this to his son... "Oi! Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz! *pant pant* Dinner's ready!" :p
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
time...
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 [NIV]
[1]There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
[2] a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
[3] a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
[4] a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
[5] a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
[6] a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
[7] a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
[8] a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Do we accept the harsh times we are in?
[1]There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
[2] a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
[3] a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
[4] a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
[5] a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
[6] a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
[7] a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
[8] a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Do we accept the harsh times we are in?
Saturday, October 16, 2004
Monday, October 11, 2004
Sunday, October 10, 2004
The truth and nothing but the truth
Elder Daniel John was preaching about truth today. (in context, he was expounding on the 9th commandant in the 10 commandments)
"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour"
"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour"
Exo 20:16 (NIV)
In essence, his message today was a reminder about us as Christians speaking things truthfully. It was a clear message, well thought through and a good reminder. Enough humour to liven things up a litte :) However, I think that due to the sake of time, he didn't go into what THE TRUTH is.
This set me thinking and I spent a bit of time reading into the Bible about what is THE TRUTH and what better verse than to start with than Jn 14:6.
In essence, his message today was a reminder about us as Christians speaking things truthfully. It was a clear message, well thought through and a good reminder. Enough humour to liven things up a litte :) However, I think that due to the sake of time, he didn't go into what THE TRUTH is.
This set me thinking and I spent a bit of time reading into the Bible about what is THE TRUTH and what better verse than to start with than Jn 14:6.
I found out that the Greek word used in John 14:6--"I am the way, the truth, and the life..." is aletheia. This means ‘the truth’. Reading on, aletheia is a derivative of the Greek word, alethes. (in terms of English, think of words like successful and successor and how they’re derived from success ) Alethes means ‘true: not concealing’. Phil 4:8 is one example where alethes is used. From alethes, comes another word—aletheuo, which means, ‘to speak the truth’. Aletheuo is used in verses like Eph 4:15 & Col 1:5.
So, this all looks something like this:
So, this all looks something like this:
Alethes (true: not concealing)
= Aletheia (the truth)
= Aletheuo (to speak the truth)
But that was just the beginning…
I found out that alethes was a derived word itself! And the word which it was derived from is a, the first letter of the Greek alphabet. (haha.. “big” surprise :p). But anyway, ‘a’ itself has its origins in Hebrew (back to the Old Testament) and the meaning of ‘a’? It means ‘the first—alpha’. And example where this is used in the bible is in Rev 1:8—“I am the Alpha and Omega…”
So, at the end of the day, what did I learn? (assuming I’m right in my interpretations… I’ll need to seek help in this as this is my first time going into Greek and Hebrew. If I’m wrong, I’ll send out an apology blog)
Well, searching for THE TRUTH revealed a quite a few dimensions and lessons I could draw.
1) Jesus is God. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. By saying “I am the truth”, Jesus meant to tell the disciples that He is God. The equal to the Yahweh that the Jews worshipped. Jesus was not a messenger of the truth. He IS THE truth.
2) Jesus IS TRUTH. This meant that his whole life and ALL of what He has said, which is captured in the Bible, is truth and is true. Nothing in the Bible is contradictory or false. His main message to Man was that because of Man’s sin, there was absolutely nothing Man could do to be reconciled to God. Freedom from sin could not be from fulfilling the law (being morally upright, being ethical, ect). Freedom from sin lay in Jesus himself—the belief that Jesus is Lord.
3) We are to be truthful in speech. As Christians, we are commanded to be truthful in all that we say (Eph 4:15,25). That is, we must not speak falsely against our neighbour (those around us). And this sourced from the 9th commandment. Our motivation is not to fulfil a commandment, but it’s to encourage each other to be like THE TRUTH—Christ himself.
4) We are to speak of THE TRUTH. As Christians, we’re not just supposed to speak truthfully; we are to speak to others about THE TRUTH; about Jesus himself; about the gospel.
5) We are to live out THE TRUTH. Now, the Holy Spirit lives in us. God lives in us. THE TRUTH lives in us. And we are to live a life exemplifying this truth. And the only way to do this is surrender to the Holy Spirit, bit by bit, day by day. This process is not easy… a life of Truth was not meant to be easy. Jesus Christ himself suffered and we are to suffer for him as well.
To end off, I hope this encourages you as much as it encouraged me:
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life”
But that was just the beginning…
I found out that alethes was a derived word itself! And the word which it was derived from is a, the first letter of the Greek alphabet. (haha.. “big” surprise :p). But anyway, ‘a’ itself has its origins in Hebrew (back to the Old Testament) and the meaning of ‘a’? It means ‘the first—alpha’. And example where this is used in the bible is in Rev 1:8—“I am the Alpha and Omega…”
So, at the end of the day, what did I learn? (assuming I’m right in my interpretations… I’ll need to seek help in this as this is my first time going into Greek and Hebrew. If I’m wrong, I’ll send out an apology blog)
Well, searching for THE TRUTH revealed a quite a few dimensions and lessons I could draw.
1) Jesus is God. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. By saying “I am the truth”, Jesus meant to tell the disciples that He is God. The equal to the Yahweh that the Jews worshipped. Jesus was not a messenger of the truth. He IS THE truth.
2) Jesus IS TRUTH. This meant that his whole life and ALL of what He has said, which is captured in the Bible, is truth and is true. Nothing in the Bible is contradictory or false. His main message to Man was that because of Man’s sin, there was absolutely nothing Man could do to be reconciled to God. Freedom from sin could not be from fulfilling the law (being morally upright, being ethical, ect). Freedom from sin lay in Jesus himself—the belief that Jesus is Lord.
3) We are to be truthful in speech. As Christians, we are commanded to be truthful in all that we say (Eph 4:15,25). That is, we must not speak falsely against our neighbour (those around us). And this sourced from the 9th commandment. Our motivation is not to fulfil a commandment, but it’s to encourage each other to be like THE TRUTH—Christ himself.
4) We are to speak of THE TRUTH. As Christians, we’re not just supposed to speak truthfully; we are to speak to others about THE TRUTH; about Jesus himself; about the gospel.
5) We are to live out THE TRUTH. Now, the Holy Spirit lives in us. God lives in us. THE TRUTH lives in us. And we are to live a life exemplifying this truth. And the only way to do this is surrender to the Holy Spirit, bit by bit, day by day. This process is not easy… a life of Truth was not meant to be easy. Jesus Christ himself suffered and we are to suffer for him as well.
To end off, I hope this encourages you as much as it encouraged me:
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life”
1 Jn5:20
Monday, October 04, 2004
THANK YOU!
This time, my turn to say that I've had an eventful weekend :)
It started of with listening to a good sermon from Chris Chia on 2 Tim 3 last friday. For those interested in listening to the sermon, click HERE :) This is good stuff :)
Then on Sat, spent the morning doing a bit of work, but otherwise, I wasn't too motivated to do much heavy work... hehe... Met up with the script writers at 5 to work on the Christmas script. Thanks for making the effort Jan, Shiyin and Yifen! :) Tried a new tea at the 'Tea Party' where we met-- Blueberry Yogurt... interesting taste ;) Then... my surprise came! :) Thanks everyone! We went to the nearby Pasta Fresca and "played Musical Pasta" :p There were 10 of us there and well, every single plate of pasta was passed round! We all tried all the varieties, though at the end of the day, it was hard to figure out what pasta was what! :p But the food was good though :) Real rich (the tomato and cream-based ones) but good... like what Italian should be! One pasta stood out though... It was the Al Pesto Genovese with Triangolini as the Pasta The sause was a strange green... but it was good! :) Thanks Dorcas, Yifen and Jan for planning the dinner and the rest who came to celebrate my birthday with me! Gam Siah!
Woke up pretty happy on Sun as... well, a guy is entitiled to feel happy on his birthday right? ;p Sunday was a long day though... met up with some of the cast of the skit after service and once again, the skit went through a fairly major facelift. For dinner, went out with my parents and a few of the evening service people for dinner at Gillman Food Centre (Beside SAJC). Why all the way there? Well, we went to Oishi Japanese Pizza for dinner :) My dad won a $50 voucher and we put it to good use :) There were some very interesting flavours I was hoping to try but in the end, tried Terriyaki Beef, Wasabi Seafood, Unagi & Leek and Chicken Ham & Shitake The Unagi and Leek was good :) Hope to go there soon to try the other flavours. Oh, for cheese lovers (like me) You'll be slightly disappointed that they don't use too much cheese in their cooking :p
And now, monday morning... had a refreshing jog at 7 :)
Now, thanks to all who made this weekend memorable! And I really thank God for bringing me through 22 years, blessing me with wonderful friends :) Hallelujah! :)
P.S. reading this once through, it sounds like some Primary School Compo titled "Your Birthday"! :p
It started of with listening to a good sermon from Chris Chia on 2 Tim 3 last friday. For those interested in listening to the sermon, click HERE :) This is good stuff :)
Then on Sat, spent the morning doing a bit of work, but otherwise, I wasn't too motivated to do much heavy work... hehe... Met up with the script writers at 5 to work on the Christmas script. Thanks for making the effort Jan, Shiyin and Yifen! :) Tried a new tea at the 'Tea Party' where we met-- Blueberry Yogurt... interesting taste ;) Then... my surprise came! :) Thanks everyone! We went to the nearby Pasta Fresca and "played Musical Pasta" :p There were 10 of us there and well, every single plate of pasta was passed round! We all tried all the varieties, though at the end of the day, it was hard to figure out what pasta was what! :p But the food was good though :) Real rich (the tomato and cream-based ones) but good... like what Italian should be! One pasta stood out though... It was the Al Pesto Genovese with Triangolini as the Pasta The sause was a strange green... but it was good! :) Thanks Dorcas, Yifen and Jan for planning the dinner and the rest who came to celebrate my birthday with me! Gam Siah!
Woke up pretty happy on Sun as... well, a guy is entitiled to feel happy on his birthday right? ;p Sunday was a long day though... met up with some of the cast of the skit after service and once again, the skit went through a fairly major facelift. For dinner, went out with my parents and a few of the evening service people for dinner at Gillman Food Centre (Beside SAJC). Why all the way there? Well, we went to Oishi Japanese Pizza for dinner :) My dad won a $50 voucher and we put it to good use :) There were some very interesting flavours I was hoping to try but in the end, tried Terriyaki Beef, Wasabi Seafood, Unagi & Leek and Chicken Ham & Shitake The Unagi and Leek was good :) Hope to go there soon to try the other flavours. Oh, for cheese lovers (like me) You'll be slightly disappointed that they don't use too much cheese in their cooking :p
And now, monday morning... had a refreshing jog at 7 :)
Now, thanks to all who made this weekend memorable! And I really thank God for bringing me through 22 years, blessing me with wonderful friends :) Hallelujah! :)
P.S. reading this once through, it sounds like some Primary School Compo titled "Your Birthday"! :p
Thursday, September 30, 2004
In God's presence?
Had a good mini-discussion about God's presence with my BSF leader yesterday.
You know how worship leaders love to use those phrases-- "let us come into God's presence...", "Come and dwell among us, Lord", "As we draw nearer to God...", etc. Both my BSF leader and I agreed that these phrases have all been used wrongly.
He was sharing with me about how his youth put up this skit about God's presence. This was in a bid to share with others about the common misconceptions about "entering God's presence". For one, don't we all agree that God is everywhere? That this world is His, that out God is omnpresent and omnipotent? Then how in the world do we "enter into His presence in worship" when He is always around us? Rather, the real question is-- do we acknowledge that God IS in our midst, 24hrs a day, 365days a yr? (not that God is limited by time)
By attempting to say that we can invite God into our midst is demeaning the power of our God. Also, it suggests that man can reach out to God when in actual fact, nothing we could have ever done would have allowed us unhindered access to God the Father. Nothing. Man's problem throughout the ages has been to reach for the "heavenlies". In the period of the Old Testament (OT), this was what the pagans, gentiles, and even the Israelites themselves did. They thought that they could enter God's presence by their own efforts.
Sadly, they were mistaken. However, all was not lost... Grace was displayed.
This Grace was NOT displayed by accepting our efforts at reaching God (as some might be led to believe). Nope, This Grace was displayed by God coming down... Jesus Christ. However, that wasn't enough. God is holy, pure, sinless. For us to ever enter God's holy presence in worship, we have to be clean, holy, sinless. God's wrath towards sin had to be appeased. And Jesus Christ, sinless, holy, blameless, took on God's wrath and sacrifised himself for us... on that cross, both Justice and Love were displayed. Power was displayed in Jesus' resurrection... sin and death had no hold over Him. And as Christians (literally meaning "belonging to Christ") we have no fear over sin and death as well. Hallelujah!
So, everything points back to the gospel (the paragraph above)... and the bigger theme of "entering God's presence" is in fact, worship (which, i feel, many people have a misconception of).
I won't go on about talking about worship in this blog (its an immense theme!), but I do recommemend an excellant (and short!) book about this by Vaughan Roberts. It's aptly titled "True Worship" I have a copy of the book... but I can't remember who I've lent it to! (alamak!)
Well, in the light of all this, I'm once again reminded that I can commune with God, in His presence, not by works, but by grace! What a privilege! :)
You know how worship leaders love to use those phrases-- "let us come into God's presence...", "Come and dwell among us, Lord", "As we draw nearer to God...", etc. Both my BSF leader and I agreed that these phrases have all been used wrongly.
He was sharing with me about how his youth put up this skit about God's presence. This was in a bid to share with others about the common misconceptions about "entering God's presence". For one, don't we all agree that God is everywhere? That this world is His, that out God is omnpresent and omnipotent? Then how in the world do we "enter into His presence in worship" when He is always around us? Rather, the real question is-- do we acknowledge that God IS in our midst, 24hrs a day, 365days a yr? (not that God is limited by time)
By attempting to say that we can invite God into our midst is demeaning the power of our God. Also, it suggests that man can reach out to God when in actual fact, nothing we could have ever done would have allowed us unhindered access to God the Father. Nothing. Man's problem throughout the ages has been to reach for the "heavenlies". In the period of the Old Testament (OT), this was what the pagans, gentiles, and even the Israelites themselves did. They thought that they could enter God's presence by their own efforts.
Sadly, they were mistaken. However, all was not lost... Grace was displayed.
This Grace was NOT displayed by accepting our efforts at reaching God (as some might be led to believe). Nope, This Grace was displayed by God coming down... Jesus Christ. However, that wasn't enough. God is holy, pure, sinless. For us to ever enter God's holy presence in worship, we have to be clean, holy, sinless. God's wrath towards sin had to be appeased. And Jesus Christ, sinless, holy, blameless, took on God's wrath and sacrifised himself for us... on that cross, both Justice and Love were displayed. Power was displayed in Jesus' resurrection... sin and death had no hold over Him. And as Christians (literally meaning "belonging to Christ") we have no fear over sin and death as well. Hallelujah!
So, everything points back to the gospel (the paragraph above)... and the bigger theme of "entering God's presence" is in fact, worship (which, i feel, many people have a misconception of).
I won't go on about talking about worship in this blog (its an immense theme!), but I do recommemend an excellant (and short!) book about this by Vaughan Roberts. It's aptly titled "True Worship" I have a copy of the book... but I can't remember who I've lent it to! (alamak!)
Well, in the light of all this, I'm once again reminded that I can commune with God, in His presence, not by works, but by grace! What a privilege! :)
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Free Bible study software
A friend (Yong Chieh) put this link on his blog... It's a real jem of a find.
Basically, its a bible study software which allows you to download plug-ins of cool stuff like different versions of the Bible (Greek and Hebrew ones included), Bible Dictionaries, Commentaries, maps, e-books, etc.
Also, its free!! :)
The 2 Bible translations I found useful were the KJV (which is the default one) and the ESV (which is the one i use with the NIV in my QT nowadays)
Will be putting the link permanently on my blog soon... for now...
http://www.e-sword.net/index.html
I'm sure this will be helpful to many :)
Basically, its a bible study software which allows you to download plug-ins of cool stuff like different versions of the Bible (Greek and Hebrew ones included), Bible Dictionaries, Commentaries, maps, e-books, etc.
Also, its free!! :)
The 2 Bible translations I found useful were the KJV (which is the default one) and the ESV (which is the one i use with the NIV in my QT nowadays)
Will be putting the link permanently on my blog soon... for now...
http://www.e-sword.net/index.html
I'm sure this will be helpful to many :)
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
IPPT and 100Plus
*pant, pant* "how come I so unfit now ah? wah piang, how did I run 9min20sec for my 2.4km before?? cannot, must tahan... gold, gold, $400 from SAF... " *pant, pant*
Yes, those were my thoughts at the 4th lap of my 2.4km run yesterday. xiong man... And well, didn't get the gold this year. SAF, *grunt* you better watch out... I'll go get the $400 next year (crossed fingers... planning running schedule now...)
After the whole painful experience, I understood why Esau craved for stew... I was craving for an ice-cool 100Plus! Unfortunately, couldn't buy one at vending machine... no coins!
However... *drum roll* a close friend of mine bought me one! :) I was just mentioning this to her absent-mindedly and she was gracious/generous enough to get me a can of 100Plus... ice cool somemore! Thanks friend! :)
Thinking about all this, think I'm real blessed to have friends like these :) Also, it reminded me that it doesn't take a lot to encourage others and to grow in your friendship. Let's all be sensitive to the needs of our friends and help others when we can! :)
Yes, those were my thoughts at the 4th lap of my 2.4km run yesterday. xiong man... And well, didn't get the gold this year. SAF, *grunt* you better watch out... I'll go get the $400 next year (crossed fingers... planning running schedule now...)
After the whole painful experience, I understood why Esau craved for stew... I was craving for an ice-cool 100Plus! Unfortunately, couldn't buy one at vending machine... no coins!
However... *drum roll* a close friend of mine bought me one! :) I was just mentioning this to her absent-mindedly and she was gracious/generous enough to get me a can of 100Plus... ice cool somemore! Thanks friend! :)
Thinking about all this, think I'm real blessed to have friends like these :) Also, it reminded me that it doesn't take a lot to encourage others and to grow in your friendship. Let's all be sensitive to the needs of our friends and help others when we can! :)
Friday, September 24, 2004
In Christ Alone... Pt 4
This must be my longest blog for a single day! :p
For those who have endured all the way... thanks! And I must say, you are good :) Even I find it hard to read today's entire blog in one sitting :p Ok, enough small talk...
This last thing, I must say...
Because of Christ and Christ alone, do we then have true fellowship of men. And God has really blessed me with a company of true friends. They encourage me to press on, edifiy me from the Word of God, share with me my life's ups and downs. And this week, I celebrated one their birthday's...
Blessed Birthday Yifen! :)
Let's press on, spuring one another on towards Christ-likeness ya? In Christ alone do we jia you!
For those who have endured all the way... thanks! And I must say, you are good :) Even I find it hard to read today's entire blog in one sitting :p Ok, enough small talk...
This last thing, I must say...
Because of Christ and Christ alone, do we then have true fellowship of men. And God has really blessed me with a company of true friends. They encourage me to press on, edifiy me from the Word of God, share with me my life's ups and downs. And this week, I celebrated one their birthday's...
Blessed Birthday Yifen! :)
Let's press on, spuring one another on towards Christ-likeness ya? In Christ alone do we jia you!
In Christ Alone... Pt 3
Haha... enough of lyrics? :p
Now comes my own 1 cent worth about both the songs...
Why did I type out both songs? (they're different songs by the way, just the same title) Well, both of them are among my favourites. I love the newer one by Keith Getty & Stuart for the lyrics. It has a very "hymnal" feel to the lyrics but I must say, the lyrics just brought tears to my eyes. (yes, I do cry quite easily! :p) The song, to me, was basically the gospel. A summary of this wonderful, life-transforming gospel that I live for.
The older version of 'In Christ Alone'... I have absolutely no idea who penned the words and tune. Anyone care to enlighten me? But the older version has a fantastic melody which stirs up heartstrings and really makes me examine whether I have put to death everything this world to offer and live for Christ and Christ alone...
On Tuesday, I failed to make time to reflect and meditate on God's Word. I read it, no doubt... but often, the words just flew by me. Spending time with God, reading Acts, some parts of Leviticus and Romans really refreshed me. He reminded me of so many things... that I can't possibly write it all in one blog! However, the main lesson learnt...
Have I lived my life for Christ and Christ alone? Do I daily surrender myself to cross? By Grace and Mercy, Christ has set me free from the slavery of sin! He bore the wrath of God for me on that tree, because of His marvelous, imcomprehensible love! Praise God!
Now comes my own 1 cent worth about both the songs...
Why did I type out both songs? (they're different songs by the way, just the same title) Well, both of them are among my favourites. I love the newer one by Keith Getty & Stuart for the lyrics. It has a very "hymnal" feel to the lyrics but I must say, the lyrics just brought tears to my eyes. (yes, I do cry quite easily! :p) The song, to me, was basically the gospel. A summary of this wonderful, life-transforming gospel that I live for.
The older version of 'In Christ Alone'... I have absolutely no idea who penned the words and tune. Anyone care to enlighten me? But the older version has a fantastic melody which stirs up heartstrings and really makes me examine whether I have put to death everything this world to offer and live for Christ and Christ alone...
On Tuesday, I failed to make time to reflect and meditate on God's Word. I read it, no doubt... but often, the words just flew by me. Spending time with God, reading Acts, some parts of Leviticus and Romans really refreshed me. He reminded me of so many things... that I can't possibly write it all in one blog! However, the main lesson learnt...
Have I lived my life for Christ and Christ alone? Do I daily surrender myself to cross? By Grace and Mercy, Christ has set me free from the slavery of sin! He bore the wrath of God for me on that tree, because of His marvelous, imcomprehensible love! Praise God!
In Christ Alone... Pt 2
This... is the newer version of 'In Christ Alone' by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
In Christ Alone
Verse 1
In Christ alone, my heart is found
He is my life, my strength, my song
This Conerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the Love of Christ I stand
Verse 2
In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
Verse 3
There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
Verse 4
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand
Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
In Christ Alone... Pt 1
This is the older version of 'In Christ Alone'
In Christ Aone
In Christ alone will I glory
Though I could pride myself in battles won
For I’ve been blessed beyond measure
And by His strength alone I overcome
Oh, I could stop and count successes
Like diamonds in my hand
But those trophies could not equal
To the grace by which I stand
Chorus
In Christ alone
Though I could pride myself in battles won
For I’ve been blessed beyond measure
And by His strength alone I overcome
Oh, I could stop and count successes
Like diamonds in my hand
But those trophies could not equal
To the grace by which I stand
Chorus
In Christ alone
I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory
Let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope
Is Christ alone
In Christ alone will I glory
For only by His grace I am redeemed
Only His tender mercy
Could reach beyond my weakness to my need
Now I seek no greater honour
Than just to know Him more
And to count my things but losses
To the glory of the Lord
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory
Let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope
Is Christ alone
In Christ alone will I glory
For only by His grace I am redeemed
Only His tender mercy
Could reach beyond my weakness to my need
Now I seek no greater honour
Than just to know Him more
And to count my things but losses
To the glory of the Lord
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Busy, busy busy...
Oh man... havn't had time to sit down and reflect on my week. USQ's lecturers are in town these few weeks, so they're conducting lectures quite often. Assignments are piling up as well.
Hopefully, I'll be able to spend some time to wait on the Lord and just enjoy being refreshed from His Word and spending quality time with Him soon... on second thoughts, I better make some time..
Hopefully, I'll be able to spend some time to wait on the Lord and just enjoy being refreshed from His Word and spending quality time with Him soon... on second thoughts, I better make some time..
Thursday, September 16, 2004
My Brother, my ministry
Once again, thanks to all who were praying for my bro... he eventually went to school yesterday. No temperature but was unusually quiet when he got back from school. Took a long nap in the afternoon. However, one thing that happens during his illness though... he knows he's the "king" of the house and what he wants, he usually gets. Got pretty spoilt and kicked up numerous tantrums during this period of time. Somehow, I don't attribute it totally to him not feeling well. Sigh... parenting is certainly not easy. I really agree with Yifen and whoever told me that your child is a ministry. And with any ministry, there are struggles and there'll be suffering. It's made especially harder for parents when this "ministry" of yours, you carried for 9 months (to mothers) and the very, very personal nature of the relationship between you and your child(ministry) is there.
I always speak more from the viewpoint of a parent than a brother cos the age gap between my brother and myself is quite large. However, I see this as a blessing as I can look at things from 2 viewpoints.
To all parents, and parents-to-be(in the near future or not), raising up children is certainly not easy, but its one of the greatest blessings in life as well :)
I always speak more from the viewpoint of a parent than a brother cos the age gap between my brother and myself is quite large. However, I see this as a blessing as I can look at things from 2 viewpoints.
To all parents, and parents-to-be(in the near future or not), raising up children is certainly not easy, but its one of the greatest blessings in life as well :)
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Thanks for your prayers!
For all those who were praying for my bro, thanks :) He came home yesterday at about 9+ am. The docs at KK wanted to give him a jab to bring down the fever but my bro wasn't too receptive of that idea. In the end, they gave him a suppository. Achieved the same thing as the jab and his fever came down... temporarily. In the afternoon, his fever went up to 39.1 degrees again and we forced him to take a cold bath. The cries that errupted from him... heartwrenching... but no choice. This kinda give new meaning to "tough love".
Anyway, its a new day today and thank God that he's much better than yesterday. He slept through the entire night and now, his fever is at an acceptable 37.4 degrees. Hopefully, he'll be back in school tomorrow :) Once again, thanks to everyone who said a prayer for my bro! :)
Anyway, its a new day today and thank God that he's much better than yesterday. He slept through the entire night and now, his fever is at an acceptable 37.4 degrees. Hopefully, he'll be back in school tomorrow :) Once again, thanks to everyone who said a prayer for my bro! :)
Monday, September 13, 2004
Bro's sick
My bro's sick again. Sigh... he woke up at about 4 this morning and vomited. Not too sure why. After that, Mum and Dad brought him to the hospital. They havn't gotten back yet... Yesterday, his fever was at 39.4 degrees w/o medicine and even with paracetomol, his temperature was still at 38.4 degrees.
Praying earnestly now for healing...
Praying earnestly now for healing...
Saturday, September 11, 2004
The BIG picture
Firstly, to all who have been reading my blog and leaving comments, thanks! Hope that what I've been compelled to write has been helpful, thought-provoking and occasionally, fun :p (much to work on with regard to making this blog fun to read, i know! :p)
Anyway, lesson that I've been learning this few days... do we get the BIG picture in life? I mean, the things that matter to us, are they the things that matter to God? The things we think and worry about(exam results, what to wear to grad night, when am I gonna get a boyfriend/girlfriend, etc...) are indeed legitimate things. However, do we invest so much time, energy, effort and money in these things that we forget about what really matters? The things that will stand the test of time, the things that will last till eternity.
What are these things? Stay tuned ;) (feel free to leave comments on what you think these "eternal things" are... what you pen down may be helpful to others)
Anyway, lesson that I've been learning this few days... do we get the BIG picture in life? I mean, the things that matter to us, are they the things that matter to God? The things we think and worry about(exam results, what to wear to grad night, when am I gonna get a boyfriend/girlfriend, etc...) are indeed legitimate things. However, do we invest so much time, energy, effort and money in these things that we forget about what really matters? The things that will stand the test of time, the things that will last till eternity.
What are these things? Stay tuned ;) (feel free to leave comments on what you think these "eternal things" are... what you pen down may be helpful to others)
Monday, September 06, 2004
Love as a subject in schools
Celebrated my cuz's birthday at my Grandma's yesterday... had my first taste of port. Found the taste too sweet to my liking... realised why they call it a dessert wine. Anyway, picked up the copy of the New Paper on Sunday and started flipping through it. Was once more convinced that the New Paper is a trashy tabloid... save for their excellant sports coverage. But came across this article that made me cringe and gasp...
Love is being taught in Shanghai now... read on...
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/top/story/0,4136,72067,00.html?
Sad that we can't freely teach what REAL LOVE is. But for those in NTUCF & NIECF, press on with the PRC's! :) For the rest of us, let's press on with whoever the Lord places in our path. We need to share with others what Love is all about
Love is being taught in Shanghai now... read on...
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/top/story/0,4136,72067,00.html?
Sad that we can't freely teach what REAL LOVE is. But for those in NTUCF & NIECF, press on with the PRC's! :) For the rest of us, let's press on with whoever the Lord places in our path. We need to share with others what Love is all about
Saturday, September 04, 2004
Poh piah and Fellowship
Visited Adam Road Presbyterian Centre(ARPC) last night. For those in YCKC, it's the church that VikEe married into ;) (remember her?) Anyway, being the first friday of the month, they have a special evet called 'Big Night Out'. During these fridays, there's supper after the service! :) How can anyone resist supper right? And last night, it was hand-rolled poh piah for supper... the self-service kind where you roll it yourself.
Over the food, had a good time talking with some of my NTUCF friends, as well as meeting Chin Cher's 'extended family'. We had to drag 4 tables to accomodate everyone! Also, was amusing to see Yong Chieh being so enthusiastic about wrapping poh piah ;p
Yesterday was a good time to get reminded what fellowship is about. True fellowship ,koinonia, is possible only because God, by His grace, mercy and divine purpose, sent His Son to redeem us from our sins by dying on the cross. By Jesus' death and reserrection, we are thus united in Christ and are new creations. That, in essence is the gospel. And thus, because of the gospel, we can fellowship and commune with God Himself, as well as with our fellow bruthus and sistas as a people bonded together with love, through Christ :)
And I tell you, one of the best ways to do this is through a good poh piah... ok lah, should generalise here... over makan :) Everyone can relate to good food. So the next time we enjoy fellowship with the privilege of having food around, lets (1) encourage one another, both Chrisians and non-Christians alike and (2) say 'Grace' with joy and thanksgiving, remembering the gospel :)
Over the food, had a good time talking with some of my NTUCF friends, as well as meeting Chin Cher's 'extended family'. We had to drag 4 tables to accomodate everyone! Also, was amusing to see Yong Chieh being so enthusiastic about wrapping poh piah ;p
Yesterday was a good time to get reminded what fellowship is about. True fellowship ,koinonia, is possible only because God, by His grace, mercy and divine purpose, sent His Son to redeem us from our sins by dying on the cross. By Jesus' death and reserrection, we are thus united in Christ and are new creations. That, in essence is the gospel. And thus, because of the gospel, we can fellowship and commune with God Himself, as well as with our fellow bruthus and sistas as a people bonded together with love, through Christ :)
And I tell you, one of the best ways to do this is through a good poh piah... ok lah, should generalise here... over makan :) Everyone can relate to good food. So the next time we enjoy fellowship with the privilege of having food around, lets (1) encourage one another, both Chrisians and non-Christians alike and (2) say 'Grace' with joy and thanksgiving, remembering the gospel :)
Thursday, September 02, 2004
The world we're living in
The papers greeted me today with the headline of "400 children and adults held hostage". The smaller headline read "Russia under seige by terrorists". Inside- female suicide bombers, french journalists held hostage, napalese riot, etc.
Now, I'm kinda at a loss... how should I, as a Christian, respond? Naturally, I'm appalled by the violence. But also, I'm sad that these people probably didn't have the chance to hear the gospel...
And in my own backyard, many friends have yet to hear the gospel as well... (we're in the life-threatening danger of falling onto mrt tracklines and moral degredation-- people are 'oohing' & 'ahhing' over an "arty-farty" film involving a grandmother's affair with a younger man *sheesh*)
Now, I'm kinda at a loss... how should I, as a Christian, respond? Naturally, I'm appalled by the violence. But also, I'm sad that these people probably didn't have the chance to hear the gospel...
And in my own backyard, many friends have yet to hear the gospel as well... (we're in the life-threatening danger of falling onto mrt tracklines and moral degredation-- people are 'oohing' & 'ahhing' over an "arty-farty" film involving a grandmother's affair with a younger man *sheesh*)
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Do we dare to be different?
Just finished reading Vaughan Roberts' Distinctives.--"Daring to be different in an indifferent world"
Excellant book. It challenged me in the way I live my life as my life as a Christian. Best of all, it's short(only 156 pages, smaller than A5) and very easy to read!(A lot easier to read than my blogs! :p) Please feel free to borrow it once Yifen is done with it. Or, feel free to ask Yifen for the book but inform me about it lah :p
To keep this blog short, will just share one portion that I found challenging:
It has been well said that the real question is not, 'How much of my money will I give to God's work?' We should rather be asking, 'How much of God's money will I keep for myself?' But behind even that question there is a more fundamental one: 'Will I live for this world or the next, the present or the future?'
Excellant book. It challenged me in the way I live my life as my life as a Christian. Best of all, it's short(only 156 pages, smaller than A5) and very easy to read!(A lot easier to read than my blogs! :p) Please feel free to borrow it once Yifen is done with it. Or, feel free to ask Yifen for the book but inform me about it lah :p
To keep this blog short, will just share one portion that I found challenging:
It has been well said that the real question is not, 'How much of my money will I give to God's work?' We should rather be asking, 'How much of God's money will I keep for myself?' But behind even that question there is a more fundamental one: 'Will I live for this world or the next, the present or the future?'
(Roberts, Vaughan. Distinctives. pp155)
Sunday, August 29, 2004
How Genesis links to the gospel
And while I eagarly await comments on my previous entry *hint, hint ;)* , my thoughts for the day...
As I wrote in my blog just this week about wanting to understand more of how the OT (Old Testament) links with the gospel and how events in the OT are about Jesus himself, my youth counsellor Paul went through "Christian Theology in Genesis 101" today :) As far as possible, will try to summarize as much as I can remember...
1) The first 3 days of Creation mirrored the last 3 days.
(a) Day 1/4: Darkness --> Light
(b) Day 2/5: Water
(c) Day 3/6: Land
(d) Day 7 : Rest
[Will not go too much into the details, those who interested to know, drop me a comment and mail and we'll talk :) ]
The first 3 days of Creation saw God creating the "structure" of the Earth and in the subsequent 3 days, one can put it as God"filling in the details". Creation, in all its wonder, mirrors God's redemption plan for Man. Man was in sin, in darkness. But God, in His grace, created us anew in Christ! We saw THE Light! Even from creation, God knew what we would do, He knew that we would betray Him. But even then, His plan for our redemption was already in work. Praise God for His grace and mercy! As for the day of rest, we have yet to fully rest. Let us press on in our Christian walk now, awaiting the day where we can really rest in God's new Kingdom :)
2) Genesis is about the fulfillment of a promise. A promise made to our forefather Abraham. "[2]I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. [3]I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" Gen 12:2,3 [NIV]
God has kept His promises, and He is still keeping that promise to Abraham. Praise God for His neverending faithfulness!
3) Issac met his wife(Rebekah) by a well (Gen 24). Jacob, Issac's son, also met one of his wives(the wife he loved, Rachel) by a well (Gen 29). Moses too, met his wife (Zipporah) by a well (Exo 2). And guess what? Jesus met his "wife" by a well too :) No, Jesus never physically married the Samaritan women he met by the well in John Chapter 4 but the Samaritan women represented the church-- his bride. Salvation wasn't merely for the Jews, it was meant for everyone! We are his bride, his church. And our Lord Jesus Christ is the bridegroom :) Praise God for his grace extended to us!
Anyway, those are some snippets of what I've learnt today :) Truely, Jesus Christ came to fulfill all that written; and all that was written was about Him for His Glory. Sometimes I wish that I was there in Luk 24:27 when Jesus, on the road to Emmaus explained how He was a fulfillement of everything in the OT; But today though, I have the privilege of having the precious Word of God at my disposal... what a wonderful privilege!
What a wonderful, powerful, marvelous God we serve and worship! Hallelujah! :)
As I wrote in my blog just this week about wanting to understand more of how the OT (Old Testament) links with the gospel and how events in the OT are about Jesus himself, my youth counsellor Paul went through "Christian Theology in Genesis 101" today :) As far as possible, will try to summarize as much as I can remember...
1) The first 3 days of Creation mirrored the last 3 days.
(a) Day 1/4: Darkness --> Light
(b) Day 2/5: Water
(c) Day 3/6: Land
(d) Day 7 : Rest
[Will not go too much into the details, those who interested to know, drop me a comment and mail and we'll talk :) ]
The first 3 days of Creation saw God creating the "structure" of the Earth and in the subsequent 3 days, one can put it as God"filling in the details". Creation, in all its wonder, mirrors God's redemption plan for Man. Man was in sin, in darkness. But God, in His grace, created us anew in Christ! We saw THE Light! Even from creation, God knew what we would do, He knew that we would betray Him. But even then, His plan for our redemption was already in work. Praise God for His grace and mercy! As for the day of rest, we have yet to fully rest. Let us press on in our Christian walk now, awaiting the day where we can really rest in God's new Kingdom :)
2) Genesis is about the fulfillment of a promise. A promise made to our forefather Abraham. "[2]I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. [3]I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" Gen 12:2,3 [NIV]
God has kept His promises, and He is still keeping that promise to Abraham. Praise God for His neverending faithfulness!
3) Issac met his wife(Rebekah) by a well (Gen 24). Jacob, Issac's son, also met one of his wives(the wife he loved, Rachel) by a well (Gen 29). Moses too, met his wife (Zipporah) by a well (Exo 2). And guess what? Jesus met his "wife" by a well too :) No, Jesus never physically married the Samaritan women he met by the well in John Chapter 4 but the Samaritan women represented the church-- his bride. Salvation wasn't merely for the Jews, it was meant for everyone! We are his bride, his church. And our Lord Jesus Christ is the bridegroom :) Praise God for his grace extended to us!
Anyway, those are some snippets of what I've learnt today :) Truely, Jesus Christ came to fulfill all that written; and all that was written was about Him for His Glory. Sometimes I wish that I was there in Luk 24:27 when Jesus, on the road to Emmaus explained how He was a fulfillement of everything in the OT; But today though, I have the privilege of having the precious Word of God at my disposal... what a wonderful privilege!
What a wonderful, powerful, marvelous God we serve and worship! Hallelujah! :)
Evaluation
Hehe... have been receiving some feedback with regards to my blog and some friends have termed it as "a tough read", "thought-provoking", "heavy", "cheem", "moody", etc... think you get the idea :p
Thoughts to those reading this?
As I said in one of my first blogs, the main purpose of my writing this blog is to help my friends, and anyone who might happen to pop by, think about some issues that I have faced or am facing in my life. It's to try to encourage everyone and its an avenue where I can share what the Lord has been teaching me :)
So, please do drop your thoughts/comments :)
Thanks!
Thoughts to those reading this?
As I said in one of my first blogs, the main purpose of my writing this blog is to help my friends, and anyone who might happen to pop by, think about some issues that I have faced or am facing in my life. It's to try to encourage everyone and its an avenue where I can share what the Lord has been teaching me :)
So, please do drop your thoughts/comments :)
Thanks!
Saturday, August 28, 2004
The Way of the Cross
I'm still figuring out how to post audio clips onto this blog... so in the meantime, the lyrics... wept while listening to this...
The Way of the Cross
Show me the way of the cross once again;
Denying myself for the love that I've gained.
Everything's You now, everything's changed.
It's time You had my whole life,
You can have it all.
Chorus:
Yes, I resolve to give it all;
Some things must die, some things must live,
Not "what can I gain", but "what can I give".
If much is required when much is received,
Then You can have my whole life,
Jesus have it all.
I've given like a beggar but lived like the rich,
And crafted myself a more comfortable cross.
Yet, what I am called is deeper than this;
It's time You had my whole life,
You can have it all
Composed by
Matt Reman
Lord, take all of me...
It's been a busy week... a lessons-learnt week...
In BSF this year, I'm going through the "Acts of the Apostles". This will cover the book of Acts and a few epistles as well... really looking forward to it. Learnt and was reminded of 2 things:
1) The OT is essentially all about Jesus and the gospel. Wai led to the same verse that BSF mentioned about Jesus' preparation for his disciples. "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he [Jesus] explained to them [2 of the disciples] what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself" Lk 24:27 And more than ever, my prayer is that as I study the OT, the Holy Spirit will lead me into knowing how the OT links up with the gospel.
2) The Acts of the Apostles should be more accurately termed as the "Acts of the Holy Spirit". And I definitely know that it ain't no coincidence that that Project Timothy Bible Conference (PTBC) was on the Spirit of Truth. And the major lesson learnt/learning-- Am I letting the Spirit fill, permeate and control every nook and cranny of my life? Are streams of living water flowing from within me? (Jn 7:38-39) David Jackman, in his book Spirit of Truth, had this to say about Jn 7:38-39. "The Biblical picture is not that I come to a great climatic experience in which the little cup of my life is filled and then I have to carry it very carefully so that none of it spills out and I do not "lost the blessing". The reality is more like that cup being placed under a continually running tap (or perhaps a better example would be the Niagra Falls!) so that the water constantly flows in and out of it. The cup remains full and yet it overflows the water all around it. Only this picture can begin to do justice to that energy and power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit's fullness is not a fragile, emotional high that makes me super spiritual, but a sane, joyous and continuous dependence on the Lord, that makes for a sound mind, and a heart at leisure from itself." (this is taken from pg 75, 76)
This week, I've come to realise that there are many areas in my life where I've got a dam, a blockage against the Holy Spirit. I've refused to let Him fill me in certain area and have gone about living that part of my life by myself. Not sugarcoating anything, I've rebelled against my King in thought, speech, actions.... again.
I end of once again with David Jackman... "We do not simply need to know the Word, we also need the enabling of the Holy Spirit to empower us to obey that Word. Growing strong and maturing as a Christian is not just a matter of Bible Study, but of Bible obedience; not just high ideals, or even dogged self-discipline, but God's power."
In BSF this year, I'm going through the "Acts of the Apostles". This will cover the book of Acts and a few epistles as well... really looking forward to it. Learnt and was reminded of 2 things:
1) The OT is essentially all about Jesus and the gospel. Wai led to the same verse that BSF mentioned about Jesus' preparation for his disciples. "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he [Jesus] explained to them [2 of the disciples] what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself" Lk 24:27 And more than ever, my prayer is that as I study the OT, the Holy Spirit will lead me into knowing how the OT links up with the gospel.
2) The Acts of the Apostles should be more accurately termed as the "Acts of the Holy Spirit". And I definitely know that it ain't no coincidence that that Project Timothy Bible Conference (PTBC) was on the Spirit of Truth. And the major lesson learnt/learning-- Am I letting the Spirit fill, permeate and control every nook and cranny of my life? Are streams of living water flowing from within me? (Jn 7:38-39) David Jackman, in his book Spirit of Truth, had this to say about Jn 7:38-39. "The Biblical picture is not that I come to a great climatic experience in which the little cup of my life is filled and then I have to carry it very carefully so that none of it spills out and I do not "lost the blessing". The reality is more like that cup being placed under a continually running tap (or perhaps a better example would be the Niagra Falls!) so that the water constantly flows in and out of it. The cup remains full and yet it overflows the water all around it. Only this picture can begin to do justice to that energy and power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit's fullness is not a fragile, emotional high that makes me super spiritual, but a sane, joyous and continuous dependence on the Lord, that makes for a sound mind, and a heart at leisure from itself." (this is taken from pg 75, 76)
This week, I've come to realise that there are many areas in my life where I've got a dam, a blockage against the Holy Spirit. I've refused to let Him fill me in certain area and have gone about living that part of my life by myself. Not sugarcoating anything, I've rebelled against my King in thought, speech, actions.... again.
I end of once again with David Jackman... "We do not simply need to know the Word, we also need the enabling of the Holy Spirit to empower us to obey that Word. Growing strong and maturing as a Christian is not just a matter of Bible Study, but of Bible obedience; not just high ideals, or even dogged self-discipline, but God's power."
Monday, August 23, 2004
The Grapevine
For all those staying in the Serangoon/Serangoon North/Hougang area, (or those who regularly visit this part of the island) this here's a good chill-out place to have drinks and chat.
Place: The Grapevine (this place isn't run by a Christian; though its name seems to have that connatation)
Location: Beside Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre (I don't know how else to describe it, since I don't have the address)
Opening Hours: From the evenings to about 1-2am
Pros: Well, for one, the prices for its coffees are very reasonable (in the context of this place being a cafe) $2.90 for a cup. The rest of its drinks are just as reasonably priced. On average, they are $3.90 for a glass/mug/pot(in terms of tea) One cool thing about the teas they offer is that below each tea, they tell you what that particular blend of tea is good for. Stuff like, "good for soothing sore throats and a stuffy nose..." that kinda thing. Oh, the Strawberry Frap is very good as it ain't too sweet and they actually use real strawberries, not preserved ones. The Mango smoothie is just as good though I'm not sure if they use actual mangoes for this one. Have a try of the Oreo Frap. Its not too thick, which is good in a way that you won't feel that guilty after having one; though I must say that the vanilla ice-cream scoop they add on top of the Frap kinda balances the guilt factor :p The Taiwanese-styled chicken (on the fingerfood menu) is also quite good... though it reminded me of the fried chicken I during the times I was in Taiwan on army training. The decor of the place is the minimalist kind, where less is more. Although if you do see the sofas free, chop the place! They are real comfy. Music that's aired is mainly light jazz and a little bossa nova. In a word-- "easy-listening".
Cons: For the dessert fans, you'll be sad to know that they only have 4 of those items on the menu. Can't remember what they are actually... I'm not that big a fan of desserts. Also, their main courses aren't as reasonably priced as their drinks. So for the budget-conscious, not advisable to have a meal there. Also, they allow smoking after 11.30pm, though it is not encouraged as the majority of the staff are non-smokers. One big thing to remember about the Grapevine-- They ONLY accept CASH. So for the cash-stripped, go find an atm first.
Went there last friday with a few of my church friends and they pretty much liked the place. It was my 3rd time there, the 1st time was with a BSF(Bible Study Fellowship) friend who was very enthusiastic about the place :) Oh, please take note: in no way do I partially own the place and thus get a share of the profits :p This is strictly a personal move on my part to recommend a good place to chill out. In no way will I accept responsibility for an uneventful, regretted trip to the Grapevine ;p hehe... anyway, enjoy :)
Place: The Grapevine (this place isn't run by a Christian; though its name seems to have that connatation)
Location: Beside Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre (I don't know how else to describe it, since I don't have the address)
Opening Hours: From the evenings to about 1-2am
Pros: Well, for one, the prices for its coffees are very reasonable (in the context of this place being a cafe) $2.90 for a cup. The rest of its drinks are just as reasonably priced. On average, they are $3.90 for a glass/mug/pot(in terms of tea) One cool thing about the teas they offer is that below each tea, they tell you what that particular blend of tea is good for. Stuff like, "good for soothing sore throats and a stuffy nose..." that kinda thing. Oh, the Strawberry Frap is very good as it ain't too sweet and they actually use real strawberries, not preserved ones. The Mango smoothie is just as good though I'm not sure if they use actual mangoes for this one. Have a try of the Oreo Frap. Its not too thick, which is good in a way that you won't feel that guilty after having one; though I must say that the vanilla ice-cream scoop they add on top of the Frap kinda balances the guilt factor :p The Taiwanese-styled chicken (on the fingerfood menu) is also quite good... though it reminded me of the fried chicken I during the times I was in Taiwan on army training. The decor of the place is the minimalist kind, where less is more. Although if you do see the sofas free, chop the place! They are real comfy. Music that's aired is mainly light jazz and a little bossa nova. In a word-- "easy-listening".
Cons: For the dessert fans, you'll be sad to know that they only have 4 of those items on the menu. Can't remember what they are actually... I'm not that big a fan of desserts. Also, their main courses aren't as reasonably priced as their drinks. So for the budget-conscious, not advisable to have a meal there. Also, they allow smoking after 11.30pm, though it is not encouraged as the majority of the staff are non-smokers. One big thing to remember about the Grapevine-- They ONLY accept CASH. So for the cash-stripped, go find an atm first.
Went there last friday with a few of my church friends and they pretty much liked the place. It was my 3rd time there, the 1st time was with a BSF(Bible Study Fellowship) friend who was very enthusiastic about the place :) Oh, please take note: in no way do I partially own the place and thus get a share of the profits :p This is strictly a personal move on my part to recommend a good place to chill out. In no way will I accept responsibility for an uneventful, regretted trip to the Grapevine ;p hehe... anyway, enjoy :)
An eventful weekend
This weekend saw history almost being made (Li Jiawei's close call at an Olympics medal), history being made (the major changes by our new PM) and sports records being equaled (Michael Phelp's 8 gold medals and Arsenal's 42-match unbeated streak in the EPL). And I spent the weekend sick. Oh well...
Jiawei's efforts were encouraging though. You could see the pressure on her face as every trick she had under her sleeve seemed to be countered with an excellant defensive display by her Korean opponent. Well, she may be down, but I think that she's definitely not out. Wondering if I put in the same amount of effort in my own personal battles... hmm...
Worrying to see the new PM being quite pro-casino. Yeen Lan (my church's misssionary to Kenya) also shared her concerns with us about the casino issue during Friday's prayer fellowship. One of the major dangers Christians face today is compromise. Compromise in making church services too "congregation-friendly", compromise in sharing only part of the gospel, compromise in the way we lead Christ-like lives. Have I compromised in the way I lead my life? I think I have... many, many times...
Well, at least our new PM has made it slightly easier for couples to make babies...
Jiawei's efforts were encouraging though. You could see the pressure on her face as every trick she had under her sleeve seemed to be countered with an excellant defensive display by her Korean opponent. Well, she may be down, but I think that she's definitely not out. Wondering if I put in the same amount of effort in my own personal battles... hmm...
Worrying to see the new PM being quite pro-casino. Yeen Lan (my church's misssionary to Kenya) also shared her concerns with us about the casino issue during Friday's prayer fellowship. One of the major dangers Christians face today is compromise. Compromise in making church services too "congregation-friendly", compromise in sharing only part of the gospel, compromise in the way we lead Christ-like lives. Have I compromised in the way I lead my life? I think I have... many, many times...
Well, at least our new PM has made it slightly easier for couples to make babies...
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Paternal "instincts"
Lecture today was very... maternal to say the least...
I'm doing a module titled "Developmental Psychology" this semester and the lecture today was on the pre-natal and post-natal phase of human development. The standard vocab was heard. ie. zygote, embryo, twins, etc...(will not use the technical terms here, I'm having trouble remembering them myself!)
But really, most of the lecture was focused on what a mother would experience and feel during these phases of her pregnancy and the post-natal phase. AND a fair bit was also about the role of her husband and how he can support his wife in this period of... the human lifespan.
Other stuff I had to learn... the various ways a baby is delivered (natural, caesarian, epidural, etc..). And oh, did you know that babies have 3 different ways of crying? I was pretty intrigued.
Learning about all this kinda puts parenthood into perspective. Even though I am nowhere near that phase in life, one realises that a lot is expected. Even before the baby is born, so much has to be done. And when your precious child is born, before you lies a great gift and reponsibility our Heavenly Father has graciously bestowed. Also, there in lies a new ministry for the father and mother as well-- to bring up their child in the fear and love of God.
For now, I'm still single and have no children of my own. Moreover, I am still a child to parents who sacrificed a lot in loving, caring and providing for me. I thank God for them and my prayer is that God will teach me how to honour them and love them better.
I'm doing a module titled "Developmental Psychology" this semester and the lecture today was on the pre-natal and post-natal phase of human development. The standard vocab was heard. ie. zygote, embryo, twins, etc...(will not use the technical terms here, I'm having trouble remembering them myself!)
But really, most of the lecture was focused on what a mother would experience and feel during these phases of her pregnancy and the post-natal phase. AND a fair bit was also about the role of her husband and how he can support his wife in this period of... the human lifespan.
Other stuff I had to learn... the various ways a baby is delivered (natural, caesarian, epidural, etc..). And oh, did you know that babies have 3 different ways of crying? I was pretty intrigued.
Learning about all this kinda puts parenthood into perspective. Even though I am nowhere near that phase in life, one realises that a lot is expected. Even before the baby is born, so much has to be done. And when your precious child is born, before you lies a great gift and reponsibility our Heavenly Father has graciously bestowed. Also, there in lies a new ministry for the father and mother as well-- to bring up their child in the fear and love of God.
For now, I'm still single and have no children of my own. Moreover, I am still a child to parents who sacrificed a lot in loving, caring and providing for me. I thank God for them and my prayer is that God will teach me how to honour them and love them better.
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Grace
Do we say 'grace' with a sincere heart every time? You know, the prayer of thanksgiving before we makan our food...
Was having dinner on Mon and my brother joined me while I was halfway through. And before digging in, he did his usual 'grace'-- a quick 6-second silent prayer of "Lord, thank You for the food, thank You for the hands which prepared it and may it nourish my body. Amen"
After that, I thought about my own 6-second 'grace' that I say before meals. And it kinda runs in the same manner as my bro's. Worse, I think its not always a prayer.. its often a 6-second recitation of 'grace'. Of course, there are times where 'grace' is sincerely and genuinely said. Sad to say however, these times are mostly when I say grace for a group of people. When I'm alone, I sometimes tell myself that a "quicky" will suffice.
Well, I know I need to change in this aspect of failing to recognise our Lord's grace constantly and taking it for granted. My other challenge? To bring forth this message to my bro and remind him that it ain't a 6-second recitation, its a "not-limited-by-time prayer of thanksgiving for ultimate grace"
Was having dinner on Mon and my brother joined me while I was halfway through. And before digging in, he did his usual 'grace'-- a quick 6-second silent prayer of "Lord, thank You for the food, thank You for the hands which prepared it and may it nourish my body. Amen"
After that, I thought about my own 6-second 'grace' that I say before meals. And it kinda runs in the same manner as my bro's. Worse, I think its not always a prayer.. its often a 6-second recitation of 'grace'. Of course, there are times where 'grace' is sincerely and genuinely said. Sad to say however, these times are mostly when I say grace for a group of people. When I'm alone, I sometimes tell myself that a "quicky" will suffice.
Well, I know I need to change in this aspect of failing to recognise our Lord's grace constantly and taking it for granted. My other challenge? To bring forth this message to my bro and remind him that it ain't a 6-second recitation, its a "not-limited-by-time prayer of thanksgiving for ultimate grace"
Sunday, August 15, 2004
Could you help me?
Yifen's sharing went well today... Thanks Yifen! :) After "standing down" from the active duty of chairing my church's service, I now have another daunting task at hand... to settle the script for my Church's Christmas service in December...
And to whoever is reading this, I would really appreciate the help if you could answer the following questions... thanks! Either email me the replies [ao310@yahoo.com] or, if you're comfortable, reply me via the "comments" tab at that end of this blog entry... thanks so much!
For Christians:
1) What is Christmas to you?
2) How would you present the Christmas message to a non-believer?
3) What do you usually do on Christmas day?
For non-Christians:
1) What do you think Christmas is about?
2) Do you celebrate Christmas?
3) What do you usually do on Christmas day/Christmas period?
4) Why do you think Christians celebrate Christmas?
To the Christians reading and answering this, it'll be good for me, and for you as well, to pose these questions to your non-Christian friends and see what kind of response we'll receive. Personally, I've been a Christian for a while now, and getting into the psyche of a non-Christian is really not easy! Also, if you can spare the time, could you email me the different kinds of responses you receive?
Thanks for the help!
Pray also for both James(a close church friend) and myself that God will give us the wisdom to plan a service which is both impactful and, more importantly, faithful to the Word of God.
Once again to everyone helping me, thank you :)
And to whoever is reading this, I would really appreciate the help if you could answer the following questions... thanks! Either email me the replies [ao310@yahoo.com] or, if you're comfortable, reply me via the "comments" tab at that end of this blog entry... thanks so much!
For Christians:
1) What is Christmas to you?
2) How would you present the Christmas message to a non-believer?
3) What do you usually do on Christmas day?
For non-Christians:
1) What do you think Christmas is about?
2) Do you celebrate Christmas?
3) What do you usually do on Christmas day/Christmas period?
4) Why do you think Christians celebrate Christmas?
To the Christians reading and answering this, it'll be good for me, and for you as well, to pose these questions to your non-Christian friends and see what kind of response we'll receive. Personally, I've been a Christian for a while now, and getting into the psyche of a non-Christian is really not easy! Also, if you can spare the time, could you email me the different kinds of responses you receive?
Thanks for the help!
Pray also for both James(a close church friend) and myself that God will give us the wisdom to plan a service which is both impactful and, more importantly, faithful to the Word of God.
Once again to everyone helping me, thank you :)
Saturday, August 14, 2004
The Lord's teaching on Prayer
Was studying Matt 6:9-13 and Luk 11:1-13 for the Berean Series in church on Jesus' teaching on how we should pray... and realise that "The Lord's Prayer" isn't too accurate a description for it. Jesus could have never prayed that prayer himself, as he was sinless and needn't have prayed for forgiveness. Rather, it should be "The Lord's Teaching on Prayer". Anyway, its quite sad that people often mistake this prayer to be "holier" than most. The scene in my head now is one of those cliche horror films where the pastor often starts praying this prayer in response to a greater presence of evil... grr... terrible...
Well, instead of sharing some bits of what I've learnt regard the Lord's teaching on Prayer(there's a lot!), will type out what was given to us in out notes on this... It's something worth thinking about and acting on...
But first, the Lord's teaching on Prayer in Matt 6:9-15[NIV]:
Well, instead of sharing some bits of what I've learnt regard the Lord's teaching on Prayer(there's a lot!), will type out what was given to us in out notes on this... It's something worth thinking about and acting on...
But first, the Lord's teaching on Prayer in Matt 6:9-15[NIV]:
[9]"This, then, is how you should pray:
"Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
[10]your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
[11]Give us today our daily bread.
[12]Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
[13]And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one."
(Taken from The Christian Messenger)
I cannot say 'our' if I live in a watertight spiritual compartment
I cannot say 'Father' if I do not demonstrate the relationship in daily life
I cannot say 'which art in heaven' if I am so preoccupied with the earth that I am laying up no treasure there
I cannot say 'hallowed be they name' if I am, who am called by His Name, am not holy
I cannot say 'thy kingdom come' if I am not doing all in my power to hasten its coming
I cannot say 'thy will be done' if I am questioning, resentful of, or disobedient to His will for me
I cannot say 'in earth, as it is in heaven' if I am not prepared to devote my life to His service
I cannot say 'give us this day our daily bread' if I am living on past experiences or am an under-the-counter shopper
I cannot say 'forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us' if I harbour a grudge against anyone
I cannot say 'lead us not into temptation' if I deliberately place myself in a position to be tempted
I cannot say 'deliver us from evil' if I am not prepared to fight it in the spiritual realm with the weapon of prayer
I cannot say 'thine is the kingdom' if I do not accord the King the disciplined obedience of a loyal subject
I cannot say 'thine is the power' if I fear what men may do or what my neighbours may think
I cannot say 'thine is the glory' if I am seeking glory for myself
I cannot say 'for ever' if my horizon is bounded by the things of time
We cannnot ever say out that prayer by our own strength, but by the cross, by our Lord's grace, we can :) Hallelujah!
Thursday, August 12, 2004
The Brainiest of them all
Just a note to all teachers and NIE trainee-teachers reading this : I can feel your stress...
Watched "Singapore's Brainiest Kid" on Tuesday and man... scary. The amount of knowledge these top kids of our nation today possess is phenomenal. Congrats to the winner, Annabelle (I think... my memory's failing me). But I was most impressed by her reading speed. For most of the questions, even before I was halfway through reading the question, she had either passed the question or answered it correctly! (speed reading perhaps? I don't know!) Her specialist subject was Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" and man... she certainly was a specialist in it! I betcha she could tell you the exact shade and colour of Gandalf's pipe if that information was in the book!
After all that, I was thinking that teachers and parents have a hard time in teaching and bringing up their children in the way of the Lord. This job can often be discouraging, energy-sapping(just read the comic "Baby Blues!") and it has immense responsibilities. (Round of applause for our own parents!) Tough.
Parents, parents-to-be, teachers and teachers-to-be... In truth, they are moulding the future of our nation. But from a more micro perspective, the main goal of these Christian leaders is to bring their child/student to a greater understanding of the Christian race, and not "top grades win". Tough, but with God's strength, it can be done :)
And as children and students ourselves, let's not give our parents, teachers, lecturers a hard time ya? ;)
So, who's the "brainiest" kid of them all?
Ans: a child brought up to love and fear the Lord :)
Watched "Singapore's Brainiest Kid" on Tuesday and man... scary. The amount of knowledge these top kids of our nation today possess is phenomenal. Congrats to the winner, Annabelle (I think... my memory's failing me). But I was most impressed by her reading speed. For most of the questions, even before I was halfway through reading the question, she had either passed the question or answered it correctly! (speed reading perhaps? I don't know!) Her specialist subject was Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" and man... she certainly was a specialist in it! I betcha she could tell you the exact shade and colour of Gandalf's pipe if that information was in the book!
After all that, I was thinking that teachers and parents have a hard time in teaching and bringing up their children in the way of the Lord. This job can often be discouraging, energy-sapping(just read the comic "Baby Blues!") and it has immense responsibilities. (Round of applause for our own parents!) Tough.
Parents, parents-to-be, teachers and teachers-to-be... In truth, they are moulding the future of our nation. But from a more micro perspective, the main goal of these Christian leaders is to bring their child/student to a greater understanding of the Christian race, and not "top grades win". Tough, but with God's strength, it can be done :)
And as children and students ourselves, let's not give our parents, teachers, lecturers a hard time ya? ;)
So, who's the "brainiest" kid of them all?
Ans: a child brought up to love and fear the Lord :)
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Falling asleep... zzzz.....
My battle with the Zzz monster rages on...
Just took a shower... a cold one. Leaving the dimension of consciousness and entering the domain of the Zzz monster felt inevitable. My eyes were heavy, the words on the page I was reading felt like a mirage... hazy; there one minute, not there the next. Doesn't help as well that a fair bit of my body's resources are channeled to my stomach because lunch was just devoured(still one of the best ways to a man's heart :p)
I wanna take a poll--- hands up all those who agree with me that the 1-2+ pm timeslot (or the post-lunch period) in the day is when the Zzz monster strikes the most!
And now that I'm more awake (a cold shower always does the trick!), I'm reminded of Mark 13 and the warning given to us in vs 36. Even as we await the coming of our Bridegroom(Christ), I often think that it is inevitable that we'll grow weary and sleepy. That's why our gathering as a church to encourage one another is so important :) We need to pinch each other to stay awake :p
While thinking about this, I'm directed to 1 Thess 4-5 and these words encouraged me, hope they'll encourage you too :)
"[13]Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. [14]We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. [15]According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. [16]For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. [17]After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. [18]Therefore encourage each other with these words."
Just took a shower... a cold one. Leaving the dimension of consciousness and entering the domain of the Zzz monster felt inevitable. My eyes were heavy, the words on the page I was reading felt like a mirage... hazy; there one minute, not there the next. Doesn't help as well that a fair bit of my body's resources are channeled to my stomach because lunch was just devoured(still one of the best ways to a man's heart :p)
I wanna take a poll--- hands up all those who agree with me that the 1-2+ pm timeslot (or the post-lunch period) in the day is when the Zzz monster strikes the most!
And now that I'm more awake (a cold shower always does the trick!), I'm reminded of Mark 13 and the warning given to us in vs 36. Even as we await the coming of our Bridegroom(Christ), I often think that it is inevitable that we'll grow weary and sleepy. That's why our gathering as a church to encourage one another is so important :) We need to pinch each other to stay awake :p
While thinking about this, I'm directed to 1 Thess 4-5 and these words encouraged me, hope they'll encourage you too :)
"[13]Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. [14]We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. [15]According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. [16]For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. [17]After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. [18]Therefore encourage each other with these words."
1 Thess 4:13-18
Monday, August 09, 2004
Stand up, Stand up for Jesus! & Stand up, Stand up for Singapore!
Was greatly encouraged that others were encouraged in the songs I chose during morning service yesterday :) Thanks for the encouragement everyone!
As I was reflecting about my day, I once again Thanked God for His wonderful gift of music. A world without tunes or melodies drifting in the wind is kinda unimaginable. And even if man wasn't given this gift of crafting a harmony of lovely sounds, all of nature, in their own ways, would shout out in praise of our powerful, loving, awesome God! (pls read in context! :p Luke 19:40)
Without a shadow of a doubt, music is a universal language (mathematicians will clamour that math is another one of those!). Its appeal and reach goes beyond all cultures and as someone once said (I can't remember who! Pardon me while I plagiarize...), "music speaks straight to the heart". This makes music extremely effective and useful in exorting our fellow saints in exalting our Lord.
However... music's ability to influence and control the a person's will, emotions, sometimes even a person's mind makes it an immensely powerful tool in misguiding a person to rebel against God. Sadly, music's beauty has also made it a god to others.
As a Christian, my duty lies in using this gift of music in a responsible, and more importantly, edifying manner to exort my fellow brothers and sisters in praising God with song. Why song? Cos worshipping God in song (note: 'worshipping God in song' is ONE phrase) requires me to do it with my mind as well. In other words, I need to KNOW who it is I'm singing praises to and UNDERSTAND what it is I'm proclaiming about Him. This can only be done with the help of lyrics. Thus, faithful and biblical lyrics are highly important in choosing songs to sing. As a worship leader, (let's not get into semiotics and terminology now) this is my challenge.
In our personal times of singing onto the Lord, let us choose good songs. Songs which are faithful to the Word. Songs which help us express our love for God and songs which help us better understand and appreciate God's love for us :)
And as Paul exorts us in Ephesians to do...
"Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. "
As I was reflecting about my day, I once again Thanked God for His wonderful gift of music. A world without tunes or melodies drifting in the wind is kinda unimaginable. And even if man wasn't given this gift of crafting a harmony of lovely sounds, all of nature, in their own ways, would shout out in praise of our powerful, loving, awesome God! (pls read in context! :p Luke 19:40)
Without a shadow of a doubt, music is a universal language (mathematicians will clamour that math is another one of those!). Its appeal and reach goes beyond all cultures and as someone once said (I can't remember who! Pardon me while I plagiarize...), "music speaks straight to the heart". This makes music extremely effective and useful in exorting our fellow saints in exalting our Lord.
However... music's ability to influence and control the a person's will, emotions, sometimes even a person's mind makes it an immensely powerful tool in misguiding a person to rebel against God. Sadly, music's beauty has also made it a god to others.
As a Christian, my duty lies in using this gift of music in a responsible, and more importantly, edifying manner to exort my fellow brothers and sisters in praising God with song. Why song? Cos worshipping God in song (note: 'worshipping God in song' is ONE phrase) requires me to do it with my mind as well. In other words, I need to KNOW who it is I'm singing praises to and UNDERSTAND what it is I'm proclaiming about Him. This can only be done with the help of lyrics. Thus, faithful and biblical lyrics are highly important in choosing songs to sing. As a worship leader, (let's not get into semiotics and terminology now) this is my challenge.
In our personal times of singing onto the Lord, let us choose good songs. Songs which are faithful to the Word. Songs which help us express our love for God and songs which help us better understand and appreciate God's love for us :)
And as Paul exorts us in Ephesians to do...
"Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. "
Eph 5:15-21
P.S. Though singing national day songs are sometimes considered childish, I still enjoy singing them. No doubt, they may not be the best of songs, but national pride and loyalty, to me at least, are still important :) (kena brainwashed by goverment liao! :P) Happy National Day!
Friday, August 06, 2004
Reunions
Went back to SAJC for the annual SFC(Saints for Christ) reunion dinner last night. As I was talking to the J1 ex-co and getting myself updated with the Christian scene in my school (yes, I still regard it as my school!) worries flood my mind. Mormons and "Da Vinci Code people" are doing their own form of evangelism and apparantly, they are getting to be quite a strong group (all run by students of course).
All this is totally in contrary to what MOE is trying to do. MOE is getting to be "practically secularist" (read Tony Payne's "Islam in our backyard"; he explains this term) and they are trying to clamp down on all forms of religious evangelism in Singapore schools (Chin Cher sorta confirmed this when I was talking to him during the PTBC). But interestingly enough, all the official clamping down is only resulting in the mushrooming of small, informal religioius groups in our schools (it's roughly the same in other schools I'm told).
One thing I can draw from all this (some of what I'm saying is drawn from Tony's book) is that governments, in general, are regarding religion as something that should be hush-hush and only for the personal life of its citizens. "Do not bring religion into the workplace, school, etc." is the message that they are trying to bring (Which explains the major amendments to the Racial and Religious Harmony Act in recent years). However, despite all their efforts, more and more people are realising that secularism is not the way to go. Secularism does not fulfill and answer that deep "meaning of life" question/void in their hearts. (I love Pascal's words that say that we all have a God-shaped vacuum in our hearts) "Religion" seems to answer and fill that void.
Back to SAJC. Despite the increasing barriers in spreading the gospel, I am encouraged to see that this year, the numbers in SFC have ballooned. There is a healthy number of J1's this year. And though they are mainly charismatic, I thank God that there are youth who are willing to commit their 2 years in JC to doing the work of passing on this good deposit we are all called to carry. My prayer for my fellow brothers and sisters can be found in Philipians 1. (Quite a number of people have guided me to this portion of Scripture and it's something that I pray for my leaders and for myself as well)
As we toil on in ministry, may we learn to love.
"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God. "
All this is totally in contrary to what MOE is trying to do. MOE is getting to be "practically secularist" (read Tony Payne's "Islam in our backyard"; he explains this term) and they are trying to clamp down on all forms of religious evangelism in Singapore schools (Chin Cher sorta confirmed this when I was talking to him during the PTBC). But interestingly enough, all the official clamping down is only resulting in the mushrooming of small, informal religioius groups in our schools (it's roughly the same in other schools I'm told).
One thing I can draw from all this (some of what I'm saying is drawn from Tony's book) is that governments, in general, are regarding religion as something that should be hush-hush and only for the personal life of its citizens. "Do not bring religion into the workplace, school, etc." is the message that they are trying to bring (Which explains the major amendments to the Racial and Religious Harmony Act in recent years). However, despite all their efforts, more and more people are realising that secularism is not the way to go. Secularism does not fulfill and answer that deep "meaning of life" question/void in their hearts. (I love Pascal's words that say that we all have a God-shaped vacuum in our hearts) "Religion" seems to answer and fill that void.
Back to SAJC. Despite the increasing barriers in spreading the gospel, I am encouraged to see that this year, the numbers in SFC have ballooned. There is a healthy number of J1's this year. And though they are mainly charismatic, I thank God that there are youth who are willing to commit their 2 years in JC to doing the work of passing on this good deposit we are all called to carry. My prayer for my fellow brothers and sisters can be found in Philipians 1. (Quite a number of people have guided me to this portion of Scripture and it's something that I pray for my leaders and for myself as well)
As we toil on in ministry, may we learn to love.
"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God. "
Phil 1:9-11
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
El Shaddai
Got the full lyrics to this song. Will be singing it during service this sunday. Powerful words...(translation of the Hebrew text in blue)
El Shad-dai, El Shad-dai, (God almighty, God almighty)
El El-yon (The Most High God) na A-do-nai (O Lord)
Age to age You’re still the same
By the power of the name.
El Shad-dai, El Shad-dai, (God almighty, God almighty)
Er-kahm-ka (we will love You) na A-do-nai (O Lord)
We will praise and lift You high,
El Shad-dai
Through Your Love and through the ram
You saved the son of Abraham
And by the power of your hand
Turned the sea into dry land
To the outcast on her knees
You were the God who really sees
And by your might you set your children free
Through the years you made it clear
that the time of Christ was near
Though the people failed to see
what Messiah ought to be
Though Your word contained the plan
they just could not understand
Your most awesome work was done through the frailty of Your Son
El Shaddai
El Shad-dai, El Shad-dai, (God almighty, God almighty)
El El-yon (The Most High God) na A-do-nai (O Lord)
Age to age You’re still the same
By the power of the name.
El Shad-dai, El Shad-dai, (God almighty, God almighty)
Er-kahm-ka (we will love You) na A-do-nai (O Lord)
We will praise and lift You high,
El Shad-dai
Through Your Love and through the ram
You saved the son of Abraham
And by the power of your hand
Turned the sea into dry land
To the outcast on her knees
You were the God who really sees
And by your might you set your children free
Through the years you made it clear
that the time of Christ was near
Though the people failed to see
what Messiah ought to be
Though Your word contained the plan
they just could not understand
Your most awesome work was done through the frailty of Your Son
Composed by
Michael Card
Monday, August 02, 2004
How's your driving?
Went through a driving lesson today... and had a pretty eventful weekend. And the question i'm asking myself? How's my driving? (in all senses of the word)
Driving isn't as easy as it looks. Looking out for blind spots, depressing your cluth pedal, watching the road ahead of you, looking out for hazardous pedestrians (I'm one of them! :p), etc... many, many factors to take note of.
And guess what? Life can be viewed as a drive, but its a WHOLE lot tougher! :p "Ah yes" you must be saying... "Adrian's gonna launch into one of those cliche bits about putting God in the driving seat of our life... why in the world am i still reading this??" Hehe... well, thanks you for reading so far down and since I think that a lot of us already know this, today's blog won't be in that manner (note, manner only ah) lah...
Anway, thoughts I found myself asking were, "Driving (in the context of driving through life) is such a complex, close-to-impossible thing to do. And if left to us terrible, undisciplined, BAD drivers, accidents are gonna happen like every minute of the day. And worse of all, people are gonna get killed and hurt."
Well, sadly, that's the world today. We drive through our own lives based on our own rules. We ignore the road signs and highway codes necessary to keep us on a safe journey. These were put in place to keep us on the right track; but instead, they were treated with contempt. And the result? Innocent people have suffered, died because of our irresponsible, haphazard drive through life. And this weekend, I saw firsthand the result of someone so tramautised to drive through life, that this friend of mine came close to throwinging away the key and was possibly wishing to drive off a cliff.
As drivers, what's our destination? (By the way, let's take note that by grace, we have passed the driving test. We would all have failed but someone else took the test for us :) Anyway, back to the point...) The road that we have to take is an offbeat track. Bumps and sharp objects are to be expected. This isn't an F1 race where super-human teams are there to change our tyres, refuel the car and all the other precision stuff that happens at the pitstop. This is off-track terrain. We have to get prepared down and dirty work. When tyres burst, we have to manually change them ourselves. Our hands have to get greasy to jack the car up if we fall into mud. There's the risk of others inconsiderately splashing mud on us as they zoom past.
And yet, the race toward the final destination has to go on. Along the way however, do we, as Christian drivers, stop and help others change their tyres? Do we help repair their vehicle or do we drive on like we never saw them? When we see others heading in the totally different direction cos they lost their navigator, do we offer to share in the knowledge of the way to the finishing line?
Its a dirty job, and guess what? We all gotta do it! The question is, "Do we?"
Along the way however, let's take heart and focus on the destination. Though we may arrive with cuts and bruises, the joy of reaching that final destination will definitely overshadow anything we could have gone through :)
Press on!
Driving isn't as easy as it looks. Looking out for blind spots, depressing your cluth pedal, watching the road ahead of you, looking out for hazardous pedestrians (I'm one of them! :p), etc... many, many factors to take note of.
And guess what? Life can be viewed as a drive, but its a WHOLE lot tougher! :p "Ah yes" you must be saying... "Adrian's gonna launch into one of those cliche bits about putting God in the driving seat of our life... why in the world am i still reading this??" Hehe... well, thanks you for reading so far down and since I think that a lot of us already know this, today's blog won't be in that manner (note, manner only ah) lah...
Anway, thoughts I found myself asking were, "Driving (in the context of driving through life) is such a complex, close-to-impossible thing to do. And if left to us terrible, undisciplined, BAD drivers, accidents are gonna happen like every minute of the day. And worse of all, people are gonna get killed and hurt."
Well, sadly, that's the world today. We drive through our own lives based on our own rules. We ignore the road signs and highway codes necessary to keep us on a safe journey. These were put in place to keep us on the right track; but instead, they were treated with contempt. And the result? Innocent people have suffered, died because of our irresponsible, haphazard drive through life. And this weekend, I saw firsthand the result of someone so tramautised to drive through life, that this friend of mine came close to throwinging away the key and was possibly wishing to drive off a cliff.
As drivers, what's our destination? (By the way, let's take note that by grace, we have passed the driving test. We would all have failed but someone else took the test for us :) Anyway, back to the point...) The road that we have to take is an offbeat track. Bumps and sharp objects are to be expected. This isn't an F1 race where super-human teams are there to change our tyres, refuel the car and all the other precision stuff that happens at the pitstop. This is off-track terrain. We have to get prepared down and dirty work. When tyres burst, we have to manually change them ourselves. Our hands have to get greasy to jack the car up if we fall into mud. There's the risk of others inconsiderately splashing mud on us as they zoom past.
And yet, the race toward the final destination has to go on. Along the way however, do we, as Christian drivers, stop and help others change their tyres? Do we help repair their vehicle or do we drive on like we never saw them? When we see others heading in the totally different direction cos they lost their navigator, do we offer to share in the knowledge of the way to the finishing line?
Its a dirty job, and guess what? We all gotta do it! The question is, "Do we?"
Along the way however, let's take heart and focus on the destination. Though we may arrive with cuts and bruises, the joy of reaching that final destination will definitely overshadow anything we could have gone through :)
Press on!
Saturday, July 31, 2004
Am I the right one?
Time flies doesn't it? (super cliche, I know!) My fairer-sex peers from JC are now graduating! Oh man... and here I am going on to my 2nd year! :p Met up with a good JC friend on thursday for lunch... talked a lot, suan each other a lot... think we could have gone on for hours if not for time keeping a stranglehold on us.
And like most 20-something's we ended up talking about relationships. Haha... she's facing a time in her life where she's wondering whether the guy is the right one for her. . Think that's the wrong question that we often ask ourselves when we're contemplating the next final step of marriage. Having gone through a painful, but nonetheless wonderful relationship myself, I conclude (with 1 cents worth of experience) that the question I/we should be asking is this-- "Am I right for him/her?"
Human love is at the core, selfish. No doubt about it. No matter how we try to sugarcoat it, our love for one another is sometimes pretentious and self-gratifying. And it will continue to be so till perfection comes in the form of Jesus' second coming (however, let's work towards perfection, being transformed by the love of Christ).
Asking that question of "Is he/she right for me?" is a lose-lose situation. The answer will never be found and I'm quite sceptical towards the "you'll know, you'll just know" answer that romantic comedies often give toward meeing Mr or Ms Right (don't get the wrong idea, I'm a sucker for romantic comedies. Go Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan! ;p)
As i commented the other day about love (its a different kinda love i'm talking about now but the essense remains unchanged), true love isn't about self. Its about others. On a similar note, husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends... is your relationship emulated after that same relationship between Christ and the church?
Idealistic and impossible my thinking may seem to be, I think that before launching myself into a relationship (if I ever get into another one), I will seek to ask myself and my partner that question... "Am I the right one for you?"
In the meantime, singlehood is best used in the service for God. So to all the singles out there... press on!
And like most 20-something's we ended up talking about relationships. Haha... she's facing a time in her life where she's wondering whether the guy is the right one for her. . Think that's the wrong question that we often ask ourselves when we're contemplating the next final step of marriage. Having gone through a painful, but nonetheless wonderful relationship myself, I conclude (with 1 cents worth of experience) that the question I/we should be asking is this-- "Am I right for him/her?"
Human love is at the core, selfish. No doubt about it. No matter how we try to sugarcoat it, our love for one another is sometimes pretentious and self-gratifying. And it will continue to be so till perfection comes in the form of Jesus' second coming (however, let's work towards perfection, being transformed by the love of Christ).
Asking that question of "Is he/she right for me?" is a lose-lose situation. The answer will never be found and I'm quite sceptical towards the "you'll know, you'll just know" answer that romantic comedies often give toward meeing Mr or Ms Right (don't get the wrong idea, I'm a sucker for romantic comedies. Go Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan! ;p)
As i commented the other day about love (its a different kinda love i'm talking about now but the essense remains unchanged), true love isn't about self. Its about others. On a similar note, husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends... is your relationship emulated after that same relationship between Christ and the church?
Idealistic and impossible my thinking may seem to be, I think that before launching myself into a relationship (if I ever get into another one), I will seek to ask myself and my partner that question... "Am I the right one for you?"
In the meantime, singlehood is best used in the service for God. So to all the singles out there... press on!
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Lost in Translation??
I just watched 'Lost in Translation'... great film. (I very backdated in my movie-catching, I know :p) Yes, I call this a film... think 'show' or 'movie' doesn't give this intelligent potrayal of life credit. Hehe... and yes, its one of those "arty, farty" kinda films. However, the humour gives it that bit of life that will make you sit up and give it the attention it deserves. I won't go through the part about excellant acting, chemistry between actors, blah, blah, blah.... rather, what first drew my 'easily-divided attention' to the film was the title-- LOST IN TRANSLATION.
What in the world did that mean??
A blog title of a close friend of mine read, "Literal translation". It involved someone literally translating 'fishball' to 'yu qiu' instead of 'yu yuan'. That was a great laugh! :) However, what I also saw, besides the humour, was that with a translation, the meaning of a word can be quite different from what it was originally intended to mean or portay. (This concept is very important when choosing a good bible translation, and I may just talk about the semiotics involved another time :p)
That funny story helped a lot in understanding the term LOST IN TRANSLATION (I'll leave the movie review to you ;p ). After thinking about all this, I realised (and was reminded) that essentially, I'm in a period of translation as well. In fact, I have been in this period of translation for a long time and I will remain to be so till my death.
As a Christian, I often fail to realise that because of Jesus Christ, no longer am I of this world. That what i'm going through on this Earth is a time of transition (note the difference) that will lead towards heaven and eternity. However, I'm not there yet. I belong to a heavenly world, though I'm still on Earth. And the mission while i'm still here? To tell others of the gospel. That's the commission my Lord has given to me. That though my words are of a different "language" (they should be motivated by the Agape love of our Lord), I pray I'll have the wisdom to translate this message in its completeness and in all its truth, bringing the fragrance of the gosple to those around me.
Now, the thing is... have I begun to give up the "citizenship perks" of this world for heaven? (Cos while i'm still here on Earth, a loss of these "perks" will equate to suffering, no doubt about it) Or am I still holding on to the bits and pieces of life, being a heavenly citizen in name but a worldly citizen in my ways?
Secondly, am I being faithful in my translation of a heavenly message? Or have I diluted its truth to blend in to a society which loves the melting-pot? Am I lost in this translation of the gospel because i refuse to rely on the Holy Spirit's strength?
Jesus' prayer for his us (all believers) really spoke to me today... i hope that to whoever's reading, this prayer will speak to you too...
"My prayer is not for them alone(the disciples). I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
What in the world did that mean??
A blog title of a close friend of mine read, "Literal translation". It involved someone literally translating 'fishball' to 'yu qiu' instead of 'yu yuan'. That was a great laugh! :) However, what I also saw, besides the humour, was that with a translation, the meaning of a word can be quite different from what it was originally intended to mean or portay. (This concept is very important when choosing a good bible translation, and I may just talk about the semiotics involved another time :p)
That funny story helped a lot in understanding the term LOST IN TRANSLATION (I'll leave the movie review to you ;p ). After thinking about all this, I realised (and was reminded) that essentially, I'm in a period of translation as well. In fact, I have been in this period of translation for a long time and I will remain to be so till my death.
As a Christian, I often fail to realise that because of Jesus Christ, no longer am I of this world. That what i'm going through on this Earth is a time of transition (note the difference) that will lead towards heaven and eternity. However, I'm not there yet. I belong to a heavenly world, though I'm still on Earth. And the mission while i'm still here? To tell others of the gospel. That's the commission my Lord has given to me. That though my words are of a different "language" (they should be motivated by the Agape love of our Lord), I pray I'll have the wisdom to translate this message in its completeness and in all its truth, bringing the fragrance of the gosple to those around me.
Now, the thing is... have I begun to give up the "citizenship perks" of this world for heaven? (Cos while i'm still here on Earth, a loss of these "perks" will equate to suffering, no doubt about it) Or am I still holding on to the bits and pieces of life, being a heavenly citizen in name but a worldly citizen in my ways?
Secondly, am I being faithful in my translation of a heavenly message? Or have I diluted its truth to blend in to a society which loves the melting-pot? Am I lost in this translation of the gospel because i refuse to rely on the Holy Spirit's strength?
Jesus' prayer for his us (all believers) really spoke to me today... i hope that to whoever's reading, this prayer will speak to you too...
"My prayer is not for them alone(the disciples). I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
Jn 17:20-26
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Windows
I wonder... who invented the window? These portals which allow us a glimpse into the reality that exists beyond our little room. Take a look out one now... go on, take a peek. What do you see? The neverending stream of traffic on that busy road? National flags swaying in the wind? People strolling home after a long day's work? Without windows, we're much like the frog in the well, not realising that there's a lot more out there than we can ever imagine. Our reality is influenced by the bigger world out there, but without a window, the poor frog thought that the whole world revolved round him.
A close friend wrote recently about returning to reality. Think that happens to a lot of us. We get sick and tired of looking out certain windows that we close them, draw the shutters, pull down the curtains and throw the key to one side. Then we go sit in front of one that looks out to "paradise" and sigh at the wonderful sight, trying to forget the window we just closed. Delusional? Nah... Escapism? Perhaps... Human? Definitely.
By focussing on the reality of this fallen world, we'll feel discouragement. If the world out there can be transformed into a matrix code (those falling green letters you see in the movie) we'll probably see the words 'me', 'myself' & 'I' many, many times over. Now, THAT'S reality. At the end of the day, we do get troubled by what we see cos in the first place, we were never designed to see those three words.
The main window we're supposed to look out of, is the B,I,B,L,E (Who, in Jn 1 is Jesus Christ himself). For what we NEED to know about the world is all in there, not what we should/want/hope to know. The 'Jesus' window is one filled with instructions pertaining to how and what we should look out for through the other windows of life. For true joy (that's what everyone is looking for isn't it?) is found not by looking at creation, but at the creator.
So, have I closed this 'Jesus' window? Have i pulled down the shutters, drawn the curtains and thrown the key aside? Has the reality of this world appeared so cold to me because i failed to look out the right window? Hmm...
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart"
A close friend wrote recently about returning to reality. Think that happens to a lot of us. We get sick and tired of looking out certain windows that we close them, draw the shutters, pull down the curtains and throw the key to one side. Then we go sit in front of one that looks out to "paradise" and sigh at the wonderful sight, trying to forget the window we just closed. Delusional? Nah... Escapism? Perhaps... Human? Definitely.
By focussing on the reality of this fallen world, we'll feel discouragement. If the world out there can be transformed into a matrix code (those falling green letters you see in the movie) we'll probably see the words 'me', 'myself' & 'I' many, many times over. Now, THAT'S reality. At the end of the day, we do get troubled by what we see cos in the first place, we were never designed to see those three words.
The main window we're supposed to look out of, is the B,I,B,L,E (Who, in Jn 1 is Jesus Christ himself). For what we NEED to know about the world is all in there, not what we should/want/hope to know. The 'Jesus' window is one filled with instructions pertaining to how and what we should look out for through the other windows of life. For true joy (that's what everyone is looking for isn't it?) is found not by looking at creation, but at the creator.
So, have I closed this 'Jesus' window? Have i pulled down the shutters, drawn the curtains and thrown the key aside? Has the reality of this world appeared so cold to me because i failed to look out the right window? Hmm...
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart"
Heb 12:2,3
Monday, July 26, 2004
the most excellant way...
Time to share a bit of what i've learnt during the conference... to whoever's reading, hope this helps...
Man, was the Corinthian (1 Cor) church bad... terrible in fact... phrases like "mere infants in Christ" (3:1) and "I have no praise for you" (11:17) litter the epistle. Main problems? Arrogance in their own abilities and influence from wordly practices. Tsk, tsk... but wait... all this kinda sounds like me! Erm... actually, this is VERY like me. Oh dear...
However, everything culminates in the famous 13th chapter of Corinthians... for this is what our service revolves round. Love. "A wonderful poetic passage!" i always said. Boy was i wrong. Paul wrote this to CORRECT the Corinthians. I understood then that this passage WASN'T supposed to be there for us to quote at weddings. No, no... it was placed there to remind us of how far short we fall of true love. The kind of love that is cross-shaped. The kind of love that will not pass away (13:8).
This love ain't for myself. The 2 greatest commandmants (Mk 12:30-31) are as follows: LOVE GOD and the second: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR. Hey God! What about the bit about loving yourself? You know, the part that says pamper yourself because you're worth it? (constantly qouoted by spas, etc) Sorry, it ain't there. (If the topic comes up in my life, maybe i'll talk about spas another time)
So, now... the questions that should pop up into our minds constantly is this: "Is God pleased with what i'm doing? Is my neighbour edified and encouraged by my actions and words?" Easy words to say... tough words to follow. I recently spoke words that not only un-edified a close friend, but stumbled that person. Sigh... i often wish words can be taken back, but they can't. I now have a better understanding of why self-control is a gift of a Spirit-filled life (Gal 5)--the tongue is often the hardest to tame(Jam3) and only people who are controlled by the Spirit can hope to overcome sinful desires.
With this understanding, why write this blog? Or why write blogs at all? Well, i pray that this avenue of the media will be one where God can be glorified. That truth may be proclaimed. And that, God-willing, the words that come from my mouth will encourage a fellow brother or sister.
Man, was the Corinthian (1 Cor) church bad... terrible in fact... phrases like "mere infants in Christ" (3:1) and "I have no praise for you" (11:17) litter the epistle. Main problems? Arrogance in their own abilities and influence from wordly practices. Tsk, tsk... but wait... all this kinda sounds like me! Erm... actually, this is VERY like me. Oh dear...
However, everything culminates in the famous 13th chapter of Corinthians... for this is what our service revolves round. Love. "A wonderful poetic passage!" i always said. Boy was i wrong. Paul wrote this to CORRECT the Corinthians. I understood then that this passage WASN'T supposed to be there for us to quote at weddings. No, no... it was placed there to remind us of how far short we fall of true love. The kind of love that is cross-shaped. The kind of love that will not pass away (13:8).
This love ain't for myself. The 2 greatest commandmants (Mk 12:30-31) are as follows: LOVE GOD and the second: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR. Hey God! What about the bit about loving yourself? You know, the part that says pamper yourself because you're worth it? (constantly qouoted by spas, etc) Sorry, it ain't there. (If the topic comes up in my life, maybe i'll talk about spas another time)
So, now... the questions that should pop up into our minds constantly is this: "Is God pleased with what i'm doing? Is my neighbour edified and encouraged by my actions and words?" Easy words to say... tough words to follow. I recently spoke words that not only un-edified a close friend, but stumbled that person. Sigh... i often wish words can be taken back, but they can't. I now have a better understanding of why self-control is a gift of a Spirit-filled life (Gal 5)--the tongue is often the hardest to tame(Jam3) and only people who are controlled by the Spirit can hope to overcome sinful desires.
With this understanding, why write this blog? Or why write blogs at all? Well, i pray that this avenue of the media will be one where God can be glorified. That truth may be proclaimed. And that, God-willing, the words that come from my mouth will encourage a fellow brother or sister.
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