Plain Forgiven

Where are you?

2012-02-08T23:14:00.000+08:00

Consider where God has placed his people. Not isolated in a desert or quarantined in a bunker. Not separated from society, but smack dab in the middle of it.
- Max Lucado

The greatest thing

2012-02-08T23:07:00.001+08:00

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God's power with us

2012-02-05T11:24:00.001+08:00

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A life worth living

2012-01-31T22:36:00.000+08:00

Credit: Holstee

Each day everything is new

2012-01-12T23:55:00.001+08:00

"Faith is not an effort, a striving, a ceaseless seeking,

as in so many earnest souls suppose,

but rather a letting go, an abandonment,

an abiding rest in God that nothing,

not even the soul's shortcomings, can disturb."

- Arthur Benoni Evans

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Great is Thy faithfulness

2012-01-11T23:44:00.000+08:00

My cousin gave me a promise devotional journal as a Christmas gift, which I've started to use for this year. I've been memorising the daily key verses and also noting the quotes on faith by Christians past and present. It has been a godsend to me because it helps organise my morning devotions. And these devotions calm my mind, my emotions and my spirit before I step in the office.

"Faith goes up the stairs that love has made and looks out the window which hope has opened." - Charles H. Spurgeon

I asked myself this question: "What does faith in Jesus mean to me?" I thought about it and I felt that for me, it means forsaking all things for God; that if push ever comes to shove, I will choose God in a heartbeat. This conviction, however, does not come out of my own strength but rather from the Holy Spirit's work in me. And I pray to God to increase my faith in Him.

A stern reminder

2012-01-11T23:01:00.000+08:00

I heard a reading of an Oswald Chambers devotional tonight and it really spoke to my heart. The words from the devotional reading below that grabbed me were these: "We slander God by our very eagerness to work for Him without knowing Him."

To me, it served as a stern reminder to persevere and not slacken in being close to God because He is the source of all things. If we focus on what we can do for God rather than our personal relationship with God first, we will slowly lose sight and lose track of what it is all about.

It is all about God, and if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. I wish my progress in my walk with God was more than glacial, but the distractions of this world make the discipline of even carving out a regular quiet time with the Lord immensely tough. I have to physically shut myself up in my room so that I am alone and able to have decent time with God.

Lord, help me to draw close to You so that I can minister out of Your power and not my own might, and develop a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit so that I can hear your heartbeat, and not my own needs.

The Sphere of Ministration - Oswald Chambers

"This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting." Mark 9:29

"Why could not we cast him out?" The answer lies in a personal relationship to Jesus Christ. This kind can come forth by nothing but by concentration and redoubled concentration on Him. We can ever remain powerless, as were the disciples, by trying to do God's work not in concentration on His power, but by ideas drawn from our own temperament. We slander God by our very eagerness to work for Him without knowing Him.

You are brought face to face with a difficult case and nothing happens externally, and yet you know that emancipation will be given because you are concentrated on Jesus Christ. This is your line of service - to see that there is nothing between Jesus and yourself. Is there? If there is, you must get through it, not by ignoring it in irritation, or by mounting up, but by facing it and getting through it into the presence of Jesus Christ, then that very thing, and all you have been through in connection with it, will glorify Jesus Christ in a way you will never know till you see Him face to face.

We must be able to mount up with wings as eagles; but we must also know how to come down. The power of the saint lies in the coming down and the living down. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me," said Paul, and the things he referred to were mostly humiliating things. It is in our power to refuse to be humiliated and to say - "No, thank you, I much prefer to be on the mountain top with God." Can I face things as they actually are in the light of the reality of Jesus Christ, or do things as they are efface altogether my faith in Him, and put me into a panic?

A good start to 2012

2012-01-02T01:59:00.000+08:00

I went for service at another church yesterday and felt that the verses in the sermon would be my key verses for this new year.

Joshua 1:1-9
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Later on the same day, I had dinner followed by two movies at a friend's place on 1 Jan 2012. The first movie was Higher Ground (a directorial debut by Vera Farmiga which chronicles one woman's lifelong struggle with her faith). My staunchly atheist friend thought he could use the movie to support his stand but it was balanced in the way it viewed the Christian faith. I was able to answer a few of his questions about the faith, the church etc as well as to sound him out about attending a Sunday service in my church.

Lord, thank You for giving me such an opportunity on the very first day of the new year. May this be the first of many more such openings for me this year. Amen.

Reflections on 2011

2011-12-25T02:45:00.000+08:00

January
An old Hasidic tale
The rabbi asked his students: "How can we determine the hour of dawn, when the night ends and the day begins?
One of the rabbi's students suggested: "When from a distance you can distinguish between a dog and a sheep?"
"No," was the answer of the rabbi.
"Is it when one can distinguish between a fig tree and a grapevine?" asked a second student.
"No," the rabbi said.
"Please tell us the answer then," said the students.
"It is, then," said the wise teacher , "when you can look into the face of another human being and you have enough light in you to recognise your brother or your sister. Until then, it is night, and darkness is still with us."

February
"As I get older, I place less emphasis on what people say and more on what they do."
- Andrew Carnegie

March
Walk with me, walk with me
Lest mine eyes no longer see
All the glory, all the story of Your love

Walk with me, walk with me
As You walked so lovingly
When You walked there and
You talked there by the sea

April
I cannot remember when this conviction in me about the power of words to curse and bless became very very real to me. I reached a point where I was unwilling to or would rather say nothing than say something that will tip the spiritual balance towards Satan. It was as if I could see the spiritual environment around me darken ever so slightly whenever I said something or heard something that was not Godly. I've become increasingly reticent through the years. I firmly believe in the power of words to transform lives - we either bless or curse people through the words we say. I fail, and fail badly sometimes. Thank God that when that happens, I am able to turn to Him and say "Lord, forgive me because I have sinned" and know that I have been forgiven because of His sacrifice at Calvary. Thank God for His grace and love for such a sinner as me.

Lord, sometimes I worry about my heart because I can feel the rocks. Pour out your Spirit into me that I may have a heart of flesh. Grant me that heart for peace-making, which encompasses wisdom, courage, sensitivity, love, devotion to truth and understanding. Amen.

C.S. Lewis:
Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.

When you have reached your own room, be kind to those who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall. If they are wrong, they need your prayers all the more, and if they are your enemies, then you are under orders to pray for them. That is one of the rules common to the whole house.

The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.

May
John F. Kennedy
If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.

We need men who can dream of things that never were.

June
Lord, thank You that You know how weak I am and You love me regardless. Enable me to always have that humility and that honesty to come to you with all my weaknesses and not just my strengths; with all my failures and not just my accomplishments; and with all my tears and not just my joy; with all my pain and not just my pleasures; and with all of me and not just a mask, a facade or a front. For Lord, when I am weak, then I am strong in You.

"A minister said.......You can tell how popular a church is by who comes on Sunday morning. You can tell how popular a pastor or evangelist is by who comes on Sunday night. But you can tell how popular Jesus is by who comes to the prayer meeting." - Jim Cymbala

July
"The church must be equipped to serve in the world precisely because it does not belong to the world. If we start with the world, the church will lose its mission. If we start with God, the church cannot refrain from giving its life for the world."
- R.Paul Stevens, professor at Regent College Vancouver

August
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW4AMgaUjJ4

I want to sing
Until I am lost in Your love
Till I'm found in Your presence
Worshipping before your throne
Moved by Your Spirit
Entering into Your flow
How precious this moment
Lord I want you to know

It's You
You who have won my heart
Taken me into Your arms
Comforted me like a friend
Your love
Surrounded me from the start
I never want to be apart
From You ever again

September
True grace comes to us by costly sacrifice. Costly grace changes us from the inside out. Neither law nor cheap grace can do that.
- Timothy J.Keller

October
Love that seeks no recompense. It is an affront to materialism and naturalism. And it is the sweetest joy that one can experience, according to C.S.Lewis.

November
"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." (Luke 9:23, NKJV)

December
Emmanuel, Emmanuel,
His name is called Emmanuel,
God with us,
Revealed in us,
His name is called Emmanuel

Truly, God came and dwelt among us and is still with us through the Holy Spirit which is present in every believer and follower of Christ.

Living water

2011-12-21T22:23:00.002+08:00

John 4:13-14 (ESV)
13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him l will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

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In the beginning was the Word

2011-12-21T22:04:00.000+08:00

My senior pastor gave his last sermon on 18 December. It was with both a tinge of sadness and joy as the man I've been listening to for almost all of the time I've spent in the church retires but consequently gains the freedom to move into even bigger things God has planned for him.

Significantly, for someone who has increasingly focused on the supernatural and prophetic with the focus of bringing the Kingdom of God down to earth, my pastor chose to focus on Hosea 4:6 as the main reference for his sermon.

Hosea 4:6 English Standard Version (ESV)
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

As God's people, we have a covenant with God. Deliberate ignorance of what this covenant relationship with God entails on our part will have devastating consequences for us. This is laid out very clearly in Hosea, where there is a warning of destruction for followers of God who have rejected knowledge or have not pursued knowledge, and where there is also a warning of rejection from God not only for ourselves but also for future generations if we forget the law of our God.

And where do we learn about God and His law? From His Word. That is where we begin and that is where we should end.

He gave supremely that all men might see

2011-12-11T22:42:00.000+08:00

Such an old song but what beautiful lyrics. The worship team sang this in church today. A reminder that we're to let Jesus shine through us so that all may see His love.

He is Lovely - Bob Fitts
I can see that you love Jesus first
It’s plain to see
And that you sit close
And hear His heartbeat
For in your eyes I see shinning love
That speaks so clear
And I can hear them saying
So sweetly

Chorus:
He is love - ly
He is ho - ly
He gave supremely
That all men might see
He is gen - tle
Tender-hearted
Risen Savior
He is God

Master Maker, Life Creator, come
And dwell in me
That my heart may know
Your tender mercy
Shine through me that all may see Your love
So full and free
And I’ll declare Your praise
Through endless ages

You are love - ly
You are ho - ly
You gave supremely
That all men might see
You are gen - tle
Tender-hearted
Risen Savior
You are God

You are God
You are God

The essence of faith

2011-12-07T21:17:00.000+08:00

"If there were no eternal consciousness in a man,

if at the bottom of everything

there were only a wild ferment,

a power that twisting in dark passions

produced everything great or consequential;

if an unfathomable insatiable emptiness

lay hid beneath everything,

what would life be but despair?"

- Søren Kierkegaard

Emmanuel, God with us

2011-12-05T23:29:00.000+08:00

Just back from a counsellors' appreciation dinner. The ending song before the closing prayer was the most meaningful to me. Emmanuel, God with us. Truly, God came and dwelt among us and is still with us through the Holy Spirit which is present in every believer and follower of Christ.

Obeying God

2011-11-29T22:44:00.001+08:00

Maybe God has something else planned for your life.

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YWAM The Call - Wine and Wine-skins

2011-11-28T23:55:00.000+08:00

The YWAM retreat also had a guest speaker in Dan Sneed, who is gifted in teaching about our identity in Christ. He taught on different topics through the days, and here are some excerpts from his sessions.

Matthew 9:17
English Standard Version (ESV)
17Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."

The process of re-using old wine-skins for new wine was used by Dan to explain how the Holy Spirit's work in us is a continual process (although the text above refers to new wine-skins for new wine).

Analogy: Old wine-skins are soaked > the crusty old bits are scraped off > the wine-skin is stretched > new wine is poured in > the process repeats itself

Application: The Holy Spirit softens our hearts during our time with Him - worship (soaking) > the Holy Spirit puts His hand on areas in our lives that we need to deal with (deliverance - scraping) > the Holy Spirit stretches and prepares us for a new season > we're ready for the new wine > the process repeats itself

* When the Holy Spirit puts His hand on an area in our lives, we need to deal with it. Our spiritual health is important to God.

* We have to be willing to keep allowing the Holy Spirit to continually work in us.

* Hurt people hurt people. The church is an excellent place to get hurt but we're to keep short accounts.

YWAM The Call - Listening to God

2011-11-23T21:58:00.000+08:00

YWAM The Call:
A call to His people
To return to the heart of worship
To wait on Him to hear His heart
To prepare a resting place for His presence and glory

Short notes from Donna Jordan's session on Listening to God. Quite wonderful. We were all seated in a circle and she said that she's going to talk to us as God leads her. Leaving this in the chronological manner in which she spoke.

* Four voices are always with us:
- God's voice
- Our voice
- Devil's voice
- Others' voice

* How do we test and discern that it's God voice that we're hearing?
By the witness in our Spirit; the witness in other people's spirit; the Word of the Lord. Just as we would always recognise our earthly fathers' voices, we would recognise God's voice more and more if we have a deep relationship with Him.

Also if we're hearing God speak to other people through us, we should ask: "I feel this is what God is saying. What do you think? Does it mean anything to you? Do you feel something in your spirit?"

* God wants to speak through our imagination but that, too, has to be committed to God.

* A prayer that Donna always starts her day with:
"Jesus, I love you. Father I submit all of me - my mind, body, spirit - to the Holy Spirit. What is on your heart today?"

* God wants to confide in friends
John 15:14-15
New International Version (NIV)
14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

* Listen to the Spirit's prompting. We will not be set free if we don't forgive. Choosing to forgive is important in allowing God to work through us. Keep short accounts.
Romans 12:1-2
A Living Sacrifice
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

* How do we break free?
James 4:7
New International Version (NIV)
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

* Relative statement »» Absolute truth = legalism

* Absolute truth »» Relative statement = liberalism

* Be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. This will show not through the gifts of the Spirit but rather through the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23
New International Version (NIV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

* Unbelief and pride hinders us from listening to God.

* Donna asked us to ask God these questions:
- Lord, what do you think of me?
- What do you want to say through me to this person?
- Lord, what do you think of me in a certain situation?
- Lord, what is on your heart today?
- Lord, whom do you want me to help today?
- Lord, what do you want me to learn today?

YWAM The Call - Worship

2011-11-22T00:40:00.000+08:00

Had the tremendous privilege of going for a YWAM Associates' retreat/gathering even though I hadn't attended any DTS programme etc. As with previous gatherings, there was no agenda and the 60-70 of us were to spend the days just waiting on the Lord to lead us. I absolutely love such retreats precisely because God sets the agenda. We did have a guest speaker Dan Sneed as well as YWAM giants Peter and Donna Jordan, plus the current batch of the DTS students. I missed Day 1 because of work but tore myself away from work to go for for half of Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4.

The first session in the afternoon was for people involved in the worship ministry because we had an unusually large proportion of such people in the entire group. But the invitation was extended to those with a heart for worship so I went. We all individually shared about what worship meant to us. We then waited on the Lord and the circle was thrown open to those who wanted to share a song. So some felt led to lead with a song and we all followed. The session ended with us feeling the presence of God so strongly that all of us bowed down and wept. We also took off our shoes because we were literally on holy ground.

For me, I shared that when I was a new Christian, I looked at worship in terms of whether the worship team was playing my favourite songs, whether my favourite worship group was leading worship, etc. It seemed almost suicidal for me to share like that in front of so many worship ministry people but I felt the Lord wanted me to tell them what it was like for me in the congregation listening to them. Then I said that slowly I realised that worship was about God and that music was one of the most wondrous creations of God. I told them that sometimes, the worship was so good that if the service had ended there and then without even a sermon, that would have absolutely fine with me because that was all. I also shared that the best thing was that we could worship God in different languages. Like I could listen to a Kyrgyz Christian song and be moved by it. And I ended it with a question: Whom are we doing it for?

The session ended with someone saying that she longed for a worship session where different people/tribes could worship God using their languages and their culture. There were 23 countries represented during this retreat. Another shared a vision regarding the unfurling of different types of carpets to usher in the King. I was very moved because it reminded me of why to me, the taking of Holy Communion in the church was one of the best moments of a church service. It always warms my heart when I see people lining up and going to the front to take communion because I see people of different shapes and sizes and people of different races, underscoring the truth that God's grace is extended to all.

Hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah
To the Lamb
Hallelujah hallelujah
By the blood of Christ we stand
Every tongue every tribe
Every people every land
Giving glory giving honor
Giving praise unto the Lamb of God

The leading of the first session set the tone for worship in the second session at night. We had dancing! :-) Four DTS students from Kona, Hawaii also felt led to perform the haka, which was deeply symbolic. It was not a performance but something they felt God had wanted them to do during the worship session. When they were doing the haka, the atmosphere was so moving - like there was the tearing down of spiritual strongholds and many breakthroughs. I could hardly pen down in words the awesomeness of that day, but am truly humbled and thankful to God that His presence was with us in such an amazing, holy and glorious way. I wanted to record it here so that I am always reminded that God showed Himself in a powerful way that day.

Lord, you are awesome, and I serve you. Wow. What an honour, what a privilege, what a life. Thank you, Lord.

Three different equations

2011-11-17T22:53:00.000+08:00

Grace - Discipline = Indulgence

Discipline - Grace = Condemnation

Grace + Discipline = Love

What it takes to follow Jesus

2011-11-13T18:43:00.000+08:00

A timely reminder for me from the pulpit. "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." (Luke 9:23, NKJV)

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you

2011-11-10T22:56:00.001+08:00

A card I received during the recent counselling retreat in Kuala Lumpur. Will meditate on it and memorise the verse.

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Trust in the Lord

2011-11-04T02:20:00.002+08:00

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track."

- Proverbs 3:5-6 (The Message)

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Come close, listen to the story

2011-10-26T17:09:00.000+08:00

True Love - Phil Wickham (With Matt Chandler and CJ Mahaney)

True Love - Phil Wickham Live

True Love - Phil Wickham

Come close

Listen to the story

About a love more faithful than the morning

The Father gave His only Son just to save us

The earth was shaking in the dark

All creation felt the Father's broken heart

Tears were filling heavens eyes

The day that true love died, the day that true love died

When blood and water hit the ground

Walls we couldn't move came crashing down

We were free and made alive

The day that true love died, The day that true love died

Search your heart

You know you can't deny it

C'mon lose your life just so you can find it

The Father gave His only Son just to save us

Jesus is alive

He rose again

Where the Spirit blows, we follow

2011-10-26T00:14:00.000+08:00

I heard Peter Tsukahira of Mount Carmel speak in my church

on Sunday and felt blessed. Went up for altar call.

He said a few things which spoke to my heart:

"It is so important for us not to hang on to

the things of the past but to lay hold of

the new things that God has for us. God is moving on

and we need to be prepared to move on with Him."

On a popcorn bag

2011-10-23T02:44:00.001+08:00

Food, yes; Christian, even more so

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Whose dreams are you living?

2011-10-19T00:36:00.000+08:00

The Language of God - Francis Collins

2011-10-14T22:59:00.002+08:00

Recommended read. Collins is a geneticist and longtime leader of the Human Genome Project. He believes in evolution and in God. Here are some excerpts:

* The Moral Law - the concept of right and wrong that appears to be universal. But is this sense of right and wrong an intrinsic quality of being human or just a consequence of cultural traditions? Is the Moral Law simply a consequence of evolutionary pressures? What would evolutionists make of the force we feel from the Moral Law - the altruistic impulse, the voice of conscience calling us to help others even if nothing is received in return.

* Current post-modernist philosophy argues that there are no absolute rights or wrongs and that all ethical decisions are relative.... But this view faces a series of logical Catch-22s. If there is no absolute truth, can post-modernism itself be true? If there is no right or wrong, then there is no reason to argue for the discipline of ethics in the first place.

* Isn't the idea of God just humans' wish fulfillment? If it is, it does not accord with the character of God of the major religions. For example, such wish fulfillment would likely give rise to a very different kind of God than the one described in the Bible. If we are looking for benevolent coddling and indulgence, that's not what we find there.

* What about all the harm done in the name of religion? Yes. But two issues need to be considered. First a lot of good has been done in the name of religion. Second, the church is made up of fallen people. The pure clean water of spiritual truth is placed in rusty containers, and the subsequent failings of the church should not be projected onto the faith itself, as if the water had been the problem.

* Why would a loving God allow suffering in this world? No easy answers, although a significant portion of our suffering and that of our fellow human beings is brought about by what we do to one another. But C.S.Lewis has this to say: "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."

You carried me, my Lord

2011-10-11T23:05:00.000+08:00

Carried to the table - Leeland

Wounded and forsaken
I was shattered by the fall
Broken and forgotten
Feeling lost and all alone
Summoned by the King
Into the Master's courts
Lifted by the Savior
And cradled in His arms

I was carried to the table
Seated where I don't belong
Carried to the table
Swept away by His love
And I don't see my brokenness anymore
When I'm seated at the table of the Lord
I'm carried to the table
The table of the Lord

Fighting thoughts of fear
And wondering why He called my name
Am I good enough to share this cup
This world has left me lame
Even in my weakness
The Savior called my name
In His Holy presence
I'm healed and unashamed

You carried me, my God
You carried me

2011-10-09T14:14:00.001+08:00

Light shining out of darkness
(William Cowper)

God moves in a mysterious way,

His wonders to perform;

He plants his footsteps in the sea,

And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines

Of never-failing skill,

He treasures up his bright designs,

And works his sov'reign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,

The clouds ye so much dread

Are big with mercy, and shall break

In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,

But trust him for his grace;

Behind a frowning providence

He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding ev'ry hour;

The bud may have a bitter taste,

But sweet will be the flow'r.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,

And scan his work in vain;

God is his own interpreter,

And he will make it plain.

Gone too soon

2011-10-06T22:12:00.002+08:00

Costly grace

2011-10-03T02:50:00.001+08:00

True grace comes to us by costly sacrifice. Costly grace changes us from the inside out. Neither law nor cheap grace can do that.
- Timothy J.Keller

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Agape love

2011-10-01T04:31:00.001+08:00

Love that seeks no recompense. It is an affront to materialism and naturalism. And it is the sweetest joy that one can experience, according to C.S.Lewis.

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Recovery

2011-10-01T02:45:00.001+08:00

What I did during my brief respite

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Communion

2011-10-01T02:44:00.001+08:00

What I see during Communion

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It's You, You who have won my heart

2011-08-30T16:45:00.001+08:00

I dug deep and managed to find this youtube video of a song that I had loved but forgotten until it was sung at a YWAM prayer meeting last Thursday. Surprise, it's City Harvest's Pastor Kong Hee leading a service in worship onto the Lord.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW4AMgaUjJ4

I want to sing
Until I am lost in Your love
Till I'm found in Your presence
Worshipping before your throne
Moved by Your Spirit
Entering into Your flow
How precious this moment
Lord I want you to know

It's You
You who have won my heart
Taken me into Your arms
Comforted me like a friend
Your love
Surrounded me from the start
I never want to be apart
From You ever again

Rest in the Lord

2011-08-10T23:43:00.002+08:00

"Believer, though all things are apparently against you, rest assured that God has made a reservation on your behalf... Somehow, He will deliver thee, and somewhere, He will provide for you. The quarter from which your rescue shall arise may be a very unexpected one, but help will assuredly come in your extremity, and you shall magnify the Name of the Lord... Therefore, be of good courage, and rest quietly in the Lord. God can make the sun rise in the West if He pleases, and make the source of distress the channel of delight."
- Charles H. Spurgeon

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Four key questions

2011-08-10T23:30:00.001+08:00

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Beware the days of sloth

2011-08-10T02:03:00.001+08:00

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Chagall's take

2011-08-06T21:50:00.003+08:00

Chanced upon this at Kinokuniya Bookstore today and couldn't resist.

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Does form matter?

2011-08-03T23:06:00.001+08:00

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Our mission

2011-07-25T00:11:00.002+08:00

"The church must be equipped to serve in the world precisely because it does not belong to the world. If we start with the world, the church will lose its mission. If we start with God, the church cannot refrain from giving its life for the world."
- R.Paul Stevens, professor at Regent College Vancouver

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Gone too soon

2011-07-24T20:46:00.001+08:00

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If you love me you will keep my commandments

2011-07-19T22:24:00.002+08:00

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Being effective without being perfect

2011-07-16T23:02:00.001+08:00

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The key to contentment

2011-07-16T23:01:00.001+08:00

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Bear fruit in keeping with repentance

2011-07-16T01:24:00.002+08:00

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control; against such things there is no law.
- Galatians 5:22-23

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Guarding Your Heart

2011-07-14T00:29:00.001+08:00

I attended a talk by David Holdaway (an Elim minister since 1984 and currently based in Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales earlier today on "Guarding Your Heart". I was tremendously blessed by it and felt led to share what he shared.

1. Why is it important to guard our hearts?
The Bible says the heart is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). We can justify everything in our lives if we look hard enough for a reason. "I couldn't help it" is often quoted as an excuse - a husband cheating on his wife or a wife cheating on her husband says "I couldn't help it. I've fallen in love with the other person". How can something that seems so right be so wrong? But the fact of the matter is that we can help it because it's a choice we make.

Reflection:
- When God says no, do we still go ahead regardless?
- Are we doing what we want to do or are we doing what God asks us to do?

2. What happens when we don't close the doors of sin to our hearts?
When we don't guard our hearts, we're subject to sin and the consequences that come with it.

Example: A man is sitting inside an airplane. He decided to press the "do not press" button and an exit door of the airplane is opened. He jumps and then says: "I can't help it - I'm falling because of the law of gravity!" Yes, at that point, he can't help it because he's now subject to the law of gravity but the important thing to note is that he should not have opened the exit door in the first place.

Life is about choices and consequences: good choices bring about good consequences. It's not the circumstances per se but how we respond to the circumstances and whether we let them take root in our hearts.

If we make good choices, we reap good consequences; if we make bad ones, there could be hell to pay.

The things that have captured our hearts determine our actions and our words, and ultimately, our lives. When our hearts are not aligned with God, everything else in our lives will also not be aligned with God's purposes.

The head determines what we think; the heart determines how we think. What we love influences what we think.

Reflection:
- What has captured the passion of ours hearts?
- Are there any idols that have replaced God's place in our hearts? Money? (1 Timothy 6:9)
- How do we go about making good choices?

3. What are the dangers of a divided heart?
The heart is the gateway to our spirit. It either pollutes or purifies our spirit; weakens or strengthens our spirit; and draws us away or draws us closer to God.

Character example: Solomon - his divided heart (lust of the flesh) led eventually to a divided kingdom.

Character example: Daniel - he purposed in his heart to follow God.

If we have a divided heart, we will have a divided mind.

The path back from a divided heart is repentance - being broken before God and seeking God again. Floyd McClung (author of The Father Heart of God) had this revelation at one stage when he was leading a mega-church with a successful ministry: "I had an evangelical mind with a Babylonian heart." He repented before God.

4. How do we cultivate an undivided heart for God? And how do we guard our hearts?
We can know God through a personal relationship with Him. God made Himself known through Christ. It's possible to be intellectually brilliant and yet spiritually ignorant.

We guard our hearts by dealing with our issues quickly, developing a thankful heart, learning to keep our hearts inspired through the Bible and testimonies as well as worship and praise, and spending time with God in prayer and meditation.

The renewing of our mind is not adding new information but changing how we think, that is, developing the mind of Christ. (Romans 12:2)

5. What does it mean to have a heart after God?
God would rather use a soldier who wants to fight rather than a general who wants to retire; it's not about the level but the direction and having the burning passion to be more and more like Christ.

The parable of the sower: the seed was the same; it was the soil that determined the harvest. Our heart determines the harvest in our lives; good soil is clean, pure and deep.

Reflection:
- Where are our hearts at? When you're tempted and you know you won't get caught, what you do next will be determined by your heart.
- The Devil thinks he can buy us at a price; he thought so of Jesus by tempting Him three times (Matthew 4:1-11). Would we say no to the Devil if he comes at us with a very attractive offer? Would we refuse to be bought at any price? (Luke 12:34)

6. Prayer points
- Lord, completely captivate our hearts. We are a work in progress. Let us pursue You with an undivided heart. Amen.
- Psalm 51
- 1 Peter 3:8
- Matthew 6:21

Contemplation

2011-07-11T23:26:00.001+08:00

Passed 10 books to a church friend, and so allowed myself the purchase of this book. Merton and Nouwen are two of my favourite Catholic authors. Really looking forward to what God will reveal to me through Merton's words.

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The Church of Christ

2011-07-09T01:19:00.004+08:00

I attended a city@prayer session at the Arcade during lunch on Wednesday. The lady leading the session mentioned one of the prayer items - the need to pray for God's forgiveness on behalf of churches in Singapore. She mentioned the fact that some churches have discouraged or even banned foreign workers from their services because of their skin colour and body odour. This filled me with tremendous grief and anger because if that is the kind of church that Singapore is breeding, I want no part in it.

Through His blood shed on the cross and His resurrection, Jesus has thrown open heaven and offered eternal salvation and life to whoever shall repent of their sins, invite Him into their hearts as their personal Saviour and become a disciple by following Him all the days of their lives. How dare we, his believers, erect entry barriers to His church on earth!

Lord, forgive us, forgive us, forgive us.

Their works follow them

2011-07-04T23:18:00.000+08:00

I recently started reading the Revival Study Bible, starting from Genesis, and am already extremely edified by it. The Bible's general editors are William Pratney, Steve Hill and Tamara Winslow. It contains notes and articles about revivalists throughout history and has short biographies of them. These men and women of faith include Tozer, Spurgeon, Moody, Aimee McPherson, Evan Roberts, Heidi Baker, James Hudson Taylor, Jonathan Edwards, John Sung, John Wesley, Maria Woodworth-Etter, Smith Wigglesworth, Watchman Nee and many more.

Even when I was typing their names above, I felt a bit emotional. The current generation of Christians has seen further because we are standing on the shoulders of these giants. They cultivated the ground which we are now harvesting, and I pray that we will also do our part in cultivating new ground for future generations.

I will share some of their words as and when I feel led as I read this study bible over this year.

"Brethren it cannot be too strongly impressed on every mind that the decisive characteristic of true religion is energy, not apathy; that its vital essence is life, not death."

- Charles Grandison Finney

"Outside of the ark, all was ruin, but inside all was rest and peace. Without Christ, we perish, but in Christ Jesus, there is perfect safety."

- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

This is our God

2011-07-04T21:20:00.002+08:00

Your presence in me
Jesus light the way
By the power of Your Word
I am restored
I am redeemed
By Your Spirit I am free

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China: Christianity's best bet?

2011-07-03T17:05:00.000+08:00

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the Word of God.

Excerpts:
Officially atheist, Communist China is witnessing a massive rise in religiosity. Recent surveys have found that one in every three Chinese consider themselves to be religious.

According to China Aid, a US-based human rights group, the number of Christians in China has increased 100-fold since the PRC was founded. Current estimates range from 80 million to 130 million active Christians, including members of so-called house churches. In a country of 1.3 billion that figure may not seem too high, but its significance becomes more apparent when compared to the 78 million Chinese that China Daily reports were members of the Communist Party as of June 2010.

"The Cultural Revolution disillusioned Chinese people and the brainwashing atheist education made people thirsty [for] spirituality," says Mark Shan, the spokesperson for China Aid.

Some experts believe that China could soon be home to the largest Christian population in the world.

What is your faith standing on?

2011-07-03T16:48:00.001+08:00

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Jesus, Name Above All Names

2011-07-03T16:37:00.001+08:00

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Fear not, for He is with us always

2011-07-03T16:33:00.001+08:00

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Are you reading me?

2011-06-29T23:49:00.000+08:00

During a recent sermon, my senior pastor said something obvious but that was so revelatory to me: "As we read the Word of God, the Word of God is also reading us."

Often than not, I tend to regard reading the Bible as a one-way flow. I read and then I reflect on what I've read. My pastor's comments reminded me that even as I read God's Word, God's Word is also reading me and convicting me through the Holy Spirit so that I am drawn closer and closer to Him.

Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

A life of faith

2011-06-29T00:07:00.000+08:00

"Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell."
- Charles Thomas Studd

His life
As a British Protestant Christian missionary to China Studd was part of the Cambridge Seven, and later was responsible for setting up the Heart of Africa Mission which became the Worldwide Evangelisation Crusade (now WEC International).

Spiritual red tide in China

2011-06-28T21:22:00.000+08:00

Christianity expands turf in Red China

Excerpts:
‎"After coming to know God, I now know that someone loves me and that the most important thing in life is not money or success, but the relationships I have with God, my family and friends," Wu says. "I'm not afraid of the future anymore."

"In the past, most of our worshippers were elderly people, women or people in poor health. These days, we are seeing more young people, as well as academics and professionals," he says.

China is one of the world's biggest publishers of the book, with approximately one-fourth of the world's Bibles printed in Nanjing. The Amity Printing Co. Ltd., the only authorized Bible-printing company in China, has turned out more than 90 million copies since it started its presses in 1987.

A daily reminder

2011-06-26T20:17:00.001+08:00

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Are you guilty of irrational beliefs?

2011-06-23T21:34:00.002+08:00

I must be outstandingly competent, or I am worthless.
Others must treat me considerately, or they are absolutely rotten.
The world should always give me happiness, or I will die.
I am special or I am damned.
I must be loved or cared for.
I must be immortal.
I am either good or bad.
I must prove myself.
I must have everything that I want.

Some Irrational Ideas That Cause and Sustain Neurosis (that is, a source of unhappiness)

(by clinical psychologist Albert Ellis)

1. The idea that it is a dire necessity for adults to be loved by significant others for almost everything they do -- instead of their concentrating on their own self-respect, on winning approval for practical purposes, and on loving rather than on being loved.

2. The idea that certain acts are awful or wicked, and that people who perform such acts should be severely damned -- instead of the idea that certain acts are self-defeating or antisocial, and that people who perform such acts are behaving stupidly, ignorantly, or neurotically, and would be better helped to change. People's poor behaviors do not make them rotten individuals.

3. The idea that it is horrible when things are not the way we like them to be -- instead of the idea that it is too bad, that we would better try to change or control bad conditions so that they become more satisfactory, and, if that is not possible, we had better temporarily accept and gracefully lump their exis tence.

4. The idea that human misery is invariably externally caused and is forced on us by outside people and events -- instead of the idea that neurosis is largely caused by the view that we take of unfortunate conditions.

5. The idea that if something is or may be dangerous or fearsome we should be terribly upset and endlessly obsess about it -- instead of the idea that one would better frankly face it and render it non-dangerous and, when that is not possible, accept the inevitable.

6. The idea that it is easier to avoid than to face life difficulties and self-responsibilities -- instead of the idea that the so-called easy way is usually much harder in the long run.

7. The idea that we absolutely need something other or stronger or greater than ourself on which to rely -- instead of the idea that it is better to take the risks of thinking and acting less dependently.

8. The idea that we should be thoroughly competent, intelligent, and achieving in all possible respects -- instead of the idea that we would better do rather than always need to do well and accept ourself as a quite imperfect creature, who has general human limitations and specific fallibilities.

9. The idea that because something once strongly affected our life, it should indefinitely affect it -- instead of the idea that we can learn from our past experiences but not be overly-attached to or prejudiced by them.

10. The idea that we must have certain and perfect control over things -- instead of the idea that the world is full of probability and chance and that we can still enjoy life despite this.

11. The idea that human happiness can be achieved by inertia and inaction -- instead of the idea that we tend to be happiest when we are vitally absorbed in creative pursuits, or when we are devoting ourselves to people or projects outside ourselves.

12. The idea that we have virtually no control over our emotions and that we cannot help feeling disturbed about things -- instead of the idea that we have real control over our destructive emotions if we choose to work at changing the musturbatory hypotheses which we often employ to create them.

Source: http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/ellis.html

Do you commonly fall into these thinking traps?

2011-06-23T21:33:00.002+08:00

1. Jumping to Conclusions or Ready, Fire, Aim. Jumping to Conclusions means there is some type of settling on a belief when there is little or no evidence to support it. You’re probably thinking to yourself, how does this relate to my life as a professional in rehabilitation?

Example: You send a long email to a colleague in which you describe some challenges you are facing and you ask for this person’s input. Your colleague sends you a one-sentence reply. You think to yourself, “This person really just doesn’t care about my situation. He/she only cares about himself or herself.” As you consider this type of example, it’s classic Jumping to Conclusions - that Ready, Fire, Aim. Instead of getting ready, aiming, focusing your beliefs, and then firing, you get that all confused and jump to conclusions.

2. Tunnel Vision. It’s what we call Forest through the Trees. Tunnel Vision is thinking about less significant details in a situation while screening out the more important aspects.

Example: You turn in case notes for your supervisor to review. You are quite pleased with your notes because they are detailed and thorough. However, after turning the notes into your supervisor, you notice that you forgot to include notes on one session with the consumer. You think to yourself, “I blew it; my supervisor will think I did a shoddy job.” This is a classic example of Tunnel Vision - the Forest through the Trees. You are so focused on the one session that was not included in the overall case file, that you can’t see the great job that you did on the case overall. Be aware of the Forest through the Trees and Tunnel Vision.

3. Overgeneralizing, or Character Assassination. Overgeneralizing is settling on global beliefs about one’s general lack of worth or ability, based on a single adversity.

Example: A consumer you are working with does not follow through on the plans you developed together. You think to yourself, “He or she is simply unmotivated and is clearly not invested in this process.” This is a classic example of Overgeneralizing and Character Assassination. Is this an example in your process of only one incidence, or does this happen all the time? Is it something that is present always? Be aware of Character Assassination and Overgeneralizing.

4. Magnifying and Minimizing or the Wrong Side of the Binoculars. Magnifying and Minimizing are errors in evaluating events in which the negative aspects of the situation are magnified and the positive aspects of the situation are minimized.

Example: You give a presentation in a meeting. One person does not make eye contact with you throughout your presentation. The others smile, nod, and ask important questions. You think to yourself, “I must have really blown that. John was so embarrassed for me he couldn’t even look me in the eye.” This is an example of Magnifying and Minimizing. In this case, you have completed the presentation and done a really great job. But, you are so focused on the one person that wasn’t making eye contact with you that you can’t see the bigger picture. You are magnifying something that isn’t important and minimizing the overall presentation - Wrong Side of the Binoculars.

5. Personalizing or Me, Me, Me. It’s all about you. Personalizing is the tendency to automatically attribute the cause of an adversity to one’s personal characteristics or actions.

Example: You have a new consumer that tells you he has been feeling really down and is having a hard time adjusting to all the changes in life. You think to yourself, “This consumer would be doing so much better if I were more helpful. I’m just not a good enough rehabilitation professional.” This is a classic example of Personalizing. You look to yourself first instead of considering the overall situation, both the consumer and yourself, in the rehabilitation process. Watch out for Personalizing.

6. Externalizing or Them, Them, Them. Externalizing is the tendency to automatically attribute the cause of an adversity to other people or to circumstances.

Example: You’re not closing as many cases as other counselors in your office and you think to yourself, “My caseload is tougher than everyone else’s and it’s just too hard to find employers who are willing to work with me.” This is Externalizing - looking outside of yourself for the cause of this adversity instead of considering the outside, external part, as well as your contribution to the caseload issue. Be aware of Externalizing and Them, Them, Them. It’s not only them, but is it also you?

7. Mind Reading or The Great Waldo. Mind Reading is assuming that you know what another person is thinking or expecting another person to know what you are thinking.

Example: You see a friend or a colleague laughing with someone else in your office. When you approach them it feels a little awkward. You think to yourself, “These people are just not glad to see me and they really wish I hadn’t come over.” This is a classic example of Mind Reading. You don’t know what they are thinking and they don’t know what you are thinking. Don’t be the Great Waldo and be aware of Mind Reading. Ask questions. Make sure to clarify the situation. Don’t leave it up to Mind Reading.

Be aware of your Thinking Traps. Are you Jumping to Conclusions - Ready, Fire, Aim? Do you have Tunnel Vision - the Forest through the Trees? Be aware of Overgeneralizing with Character Assassination. Are you Magnifying and Minimizing - looking through the wrong side of the binoculars? Also, consider Personalizing. Are you focusing on yourself? Or, are you focusing on others or Externalizing? Finally, be aware of Mind Reading. We are not always aware of what is going on with someone else’s mind and people can’t read our thoughts. So we have to communicate effectively.

Thinking Traps are very common mistakes in our beliefs. We have to be aware that Thinking Traps impact our overall ticker-tape beliefs and our outcomes - both behaviors and emotions.

Source: http://edtech.tennessee.edu/resilience/wk3thinkingtrapsts.html

Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire

2011-06-17T00:54:00.002+08:00

I slipped in my quiet time over the past few weeks because I was reading books - first, Gideon's Spies; next, A Biography of Cancer; and last, Hard Truths. After finishing the three books, God brought me to Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Pastor Jim Cymbala as a gentle reminder that I've been neglecting my relationship with my Father.

One of my friends recommended this book to me many years back and I'm reading it only now. She said that it was a life-transforming book for her in that it totally changed her perspective on prayer. She now serves in the intercession ministry. As I read the book, I also pray that the book will do the same for me and that my prayer life will never be the same again. Here are some excerpts and my thoughts on them:

"I discovered an astonishing truth: God is attracted to weakness. He can't resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need him."

Lord, thank You that You know how weak I am and You love me regardless. Enable me to always have that humility and that honesty to come to you with all my weaknesses and not just my strengths; with all my failures and not just my accomplishments; and with all my tears and not just my joy; with all my pain and not just my pleasures; and with all of me and not just a mask, a facade or a front. For Lord, when I am weak, then I am strong in You.

"If you and your wife will lead my people to pray and call upon my name, you will never lack for something fresh to preach. I will supply all the money that's needed, both for the church and for your family, and you will never have a building large enough to contain the crowds that I will send in response."

Lord, thank you for reminding me that if we pray and call upon Your name, we will never be in lack. Lord, cement always in me this truth that Lord, You have blessed us to be a blessing to others. Enable me, Lord, to use the gifts that You have blessed me with to bless others and to minister to others, so that Lord, they know You love them. Give me, Lord, an undivided heart so that I may serve you. Give me, Lord, a heart big enough to serve others in humility and in grace and in love. Humble me always, Lord, so that You are glorified.

"A minister said.......You can tell how popular a church is by who comes on Sunday morning. You can tell how popular a pastor or evangelist is by who comes on Sunday night. But you can tell how popular Jesus is by who comes to the prayer meeting."

Lord, it is all about You and no one or nothing else. That is the Gospel. Amen.

The Reading Room

2011-05-28T22:39:00.000+08:00

* The Siege of the Freedom Riders

=== There was little we could do but wait and pray. We sat in the church and sang freedom songs and hymns that strengthened our spirits and soothed our fears. Occasionally, I took a deep breath to get a little relief from the pain of my fractured ribs. At times I wondered whether it would be better to be safe in jail or to be there, in the church, surrounded by a vicious mob.

* Hit-and-run victim paralysed from chest down 'walks' again

== The treatment, called epidural stimulation, has taken 30 years to develop and is a way of bypassing the brain by teaching the spinal cord to control limbs independently.

* Indonesia's Islamic Vigilantes

=== The attack, which shocked Indonesians by occurring in a place of worship, points to what some analysts say is a disturbing trend. Across the country, they say, the authorities have largely stood by as fundamentalist vigilante groups have increasingly used street-level violence and intimidation in an attempt to turn Indonesia — a nonsectarian democracy where moderate Islam predominates — into a conservative Islamic state. Now, emboldened by a lack of official action, it appears some Islamist vigilantes are turning to terrorism.

* The Best Street Photographer You've Never Heard Of

=== She had little patience for those who put on airs—and she did little to call attention to herself. Everyday dresses. Small-brimmed hats. In one self-portrait, she's looking away from the camera, awkward and uncomfortable. In another, much of her face is hidden by a shadow. She was a loner of sorts. She never married. Families she lived with have said they couldn't recall her ever receiving a personal phone call. All of which is somewhat astonishing, given the incredible intimacy of her photographs.

* The most influential man in history

=== He was the most influential person who ever lived. He shaped our world more than any political or religious leader, more than any explorer or engineer. The gifted playwright who moves audiences to laughter and tears has also moved history...He is, as Virginia Woolf put it, "the word-coining genius, as if thought plunged into a sea of words and came up dripping."

* Unspoken Truths

=== Until cancer attacked his vocal cords, the author didn’t fully appreciate what was meant by “a writer’s voice,” or the essential link between speech and prose. As a man who loved to talk, he turns to the masters of such conversation, both in history and in his own circle.

=== If something is worth hearing or listening to, it’s very probably worth reading. So, this above all: Find your ownvoice.

* Bobby Fischer: from prodigy to pariah

=== "The thing that strikes me about Fischer's chess," he says, "is that it's very clear. There are no mysterious rook moves or obscure manoeuvrings. He's very direct. There's a great deal of logic to the chess. It's not as though it's not incredibly difficult – it is incredibly difficult. It's just that when you look at it you can understand it –afterwards. He just makes chess look very easy, which it isn't."

Warren Buffett quotes

2011-05-08T18:32:00.000+08:00

Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.

It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.

Time is the friend of the wonderful company, the enemy of the mediocre.

You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don't do too many things wrong.

Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.

Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.

John F. Kennedy quotes

2011-05-07T11:15:00.002+08:00

If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.

The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.

We need men who can dream of things that never were.

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.

We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.

There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.

We set sail on this new sea because there is knowledge to be gained.

The men who create power make an indispensable contribution to the Nation’s greatness, but the men who question power make a contribution just as indispensable, especially when that questioning is disinterested, for they determine whether we use power or power uses us.

There will always be dissident voices heard in the land expresing opposition without alternatives, finding fault but never favor, perceiving gloom on every side, and seeking influence without responsibility.

Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.

Conformity is the jailer of freedom, and the enemy of growth.

For without belittling the courage with which men have died, we should not forget those acts of courage with which men have lived.

The quality of American life must keep pace with the quantity of American goods. This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor.

But peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all people. So let us not rest all our hopes on parchment and on paper, let us strive to build peace, a desire for peace, a willingness to work for peace in the hearts and minds of all of our people. I believe that we can. I believe the problems of human destiny are not beyond the reach of human beings.

The Wonderful Effect of Divine Love

2011-05-01T23:15:00.000+08:00

Love is an excellent thing, a very great blessing, indeed. It makes every difficulty easy, and bears all wrongs with equanimity. For it bears a burden without being weighted and renders sweet all that is bitter. The noble love of Jesus spurs to great deeds and excites longing for that which is more perfect. Love tends upward; it will not be held down by anything low. Love wishes to be free and estranged from all worldly affections, lest its inward sight be obstructed, lest it be entangled in any temporal interest and overcome by adversity.

Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing stronger or higher or wider; nothing is more pleasant, nothing fuller, and nothing better in heaven or on earth, for love is born of God and cannot rest except in God, Who is above all created things.

One who is in love flies, runs, and rejoices; he is free, not bound. He gives all for all and

possesses all in all, because he rests in the one sovereign Good, Who is above all things, and from Whom every good flows and proceeds. He does not look to the gift but turns himself above all gifts to the Giver.

Love often knows no limits but overflows all bounds. Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of troubles, attempts more than it is able, and does not plead impossibility, because it believes that it may and can do all things. For this reason, it is able to do all, performing and effecting much where he who does not love fails and falls.

Love is watchful. Sleeping, it does not slumber. Wearied, it is not tired. Pressed, it is not straitened. Alarmed, it is not confused, but like a living flame, a burning torch, it forces its way upward and passes unharmed through every obstacle.

IMITATION OF CHRIST

By Thomas a Kempis

Autism - a ray of hope

2011-04-29T00:54:00.000+08:00

News footage of Carly Fleishmann

Carly's blog

Carly: "I am autistic but that is not who I am. Take time to know me, before you judge me."

Carly, why do autistic kids cover their ears, flap their hands, hum or rock (a lot)?

Carly: It's a way for us to drown out all sensory inputs that overload us all at once. We create output to block out input....I take over thousands of a person's face when I look at them. That's why we have a hard time looking at people.

Bits and pieces of Rilke

2011-04-25T22:50:00.000+08:00

If you are the dreamer, I am what you dream.

But when you want to wake, I am your wish,

and I grow strong with all magnificence

and turn myself into a star's vast silence

above the strange and distant city, Time.

Whoever has no house now, will never have one.

Whoever is alone will stay alone,

will sit, read, write long letters through the evening,

and wander on the boulevards, up and down,

restlessly, while the dry leaves are blowing.

while swimming in some isolated place,

a girl hears leaves rustle, and turns to look:

the forest pool reflected in her face.

I have my dead, and I have let them go,

and was amazed to see them so contented,

so soon at home in being dead, so cheerful,

so unlike their reputation.

For this is wrong, if anything is wrong:

not to enlarge the freedom of a love

with all the inner freedom one can summon.

We need, in love, to practise only this:

letting each other go. For holding on

comes easily; we do not need to learn it.

For The Sake of a Single Poem

... Ah, poems amount to so little when you write them too early in your life. You ought to wait and gather sense and sweetness for a whole lifetime, and a long one if possible, and then, at the very end, you might perhaps be able to write ten good lines. For poems are not, as people think, simply emotions (one has emotions early enough) -- they are experiences. For the sake of a single poem, you must see many cities, many people and Things, you must understand animals, must feel how birds fly, and know the gesture which small flowers make when they open in the morning. You must be able to think back to streets in unknown neighborhoods, to unexpected encounters, and to partings you had long seen coming; to days of childhood whose mystery is still unexplained, to parents whom you had to hurt when they brought in a joy and you didn't pick it up (it was a joy meant for somebody else --); to childhood illnesses that began so strangely with so many profound and difficult transformations, to days in quiet, restrained rooms and to mornings by the sea, to the sea itself, to seas, to nights of travel that rushed along high overhead and went flying with all the stars, -- and it is still not enough to be able to think of all that. You must have memories of many nights of love, each one different from all the others, memories of women screaming in labor, and of light, pale, sleeping girls who have just given birth and are closing again. But you must also have been beside the dying, must have sat beside the dead in the room with the open window and the scattered noises. And it is not yet enough to have memories. You must be able to forget them when they are many, and you must have the immense patience to wait until they return. For the memories themselves are not important. Only when they have changed into our very blood, into glance and gesture, and are nameless, no longer to be distinguished from ourselves -- only then can it happen that in some very rare hour the first word of a poem arises in their midst and goes forth from them.

Jesus is alive!

2011-04-24T22:49:00.000+08:00

Happy Day by Tim Hughes

Jesus is alive! He's alive! Oh happy day, happy day, you washed my sin away. Oh happy day, happy day, I'll never be the same. Forever I am changed. What a glorious, glorious day!

The Noonday Demon

2011-04-23T01:07:00.000+08:00

Just finished reading a book called The Noonday Demon written by Andrew Solomon and learnt a lot from it about depression. Sharing a few things here.

* Many depressed people have substantially reduced sleep altogether, and insomnia during depression is a predictor of suicidality.

* Twice as many women as men seem to suffer depression but men are four times as likely to commit suicide as women.

* Depression affects as much as 80% of the Inuit peoples in Greenland. Aside from the harsh climate (the sun goes away for three months every year), the Inuit have a taboo against complaining.

* Exercise and diet play an important role in the progress of affective illness.

- Exercise produces endorphins. They make you feel better if you're feeling awful. Exercise allays anxiety, too, and this helps to contain irrational fear.

- You are what you eat; you feel what you are. Many people develop depressive symptoms as part of adrenal exhaustion, a consequence of excessive indulgence in sugars and carbohydrates. If your blood sugar level fluctuates because of quick fixes from sweets and junk food, this will cause sleep problems. Coffee sucks energy and stimulates anxiety responses. Alcohol, of course, takes a substantial toll on the body.

* The earliest written reference to marijuana is in a Chinese text on herbal remedies of the 15th century BC, but the stuff did not become common in the West until Napoleon's army brought it back from Egypt.

Comfort during a time of grief

2011-04-16T00:33:00.001+08:00

I was just told by a friend that his mum died of cancer, a few weeks after I went to visit his mum and pray for her. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. His mum is now with God. I'm attending the funeral service tonight and pray that the Holy Spirit will lead me to say the right things to him. Amen.

Returning to my first love

2011-04-10T23:58:00.000+08:00

Revelation 2

The loveless church

1 “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,

‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. 6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’

Lord, thank you for warning me against leaving my first love in the past few weeks. And that I am to repent and do the first works; if not, God can remove me from His presence and His glory can depart from my life. Lord, thank you for allowing me to wander so far away from you and yet always being so loving as to keep calling me to return to You.

No pejoratives

2011-04-07T22:19:00.000+08:00

Who You Really Are: "If a human being dreams a great dream, dares to love somebody; if a human being dares to be Martin King, or Mahatma Gandhi, or Mother Theresa, or Malcolm X; if a human being dares to be bigger than the condition into which she or he was born—it means so can you. And so you can try to stretch, stretch, stretch yourself so you can internalize, 'Homo sum, humani nil a me alienum puto. I am a human being, nothing human can be alien to me.' That's one thing I'm learning."

I am a Child of God: "If I think of my life as a class, and what I’ve really learned. I’ve learned a few things. First, I'm aware that I’m a child of God. It’s such an amazing understanding, to think that the “It” which made fleas and mountains, rivers and stars . . . made me. What I pray for is humility to know that there is something greater than “I”. And I have to know that the brute, the bigot, and the batterer are all children on God, whether they know it or not, and I’m supposed to treat them accordingly. It’s hard, and I blow it all the time."

Rainbows in the Clouds: "Prepare yourself so you that can be a rainbow in somebody elses cloud; somebody that may not look like you, may not call God the same name that you call God, if they call God at all, you see? And may not eat the same dishes prepared the way you do, may not dance your dances, or speak your language. But, be a blessing to somebody. That’s what I think."

The power of words: “Words are things, I’m convinced. You must be careful about the words you use, or the words you allow to be used in your house. In the Old Testament we’re told in Genesis that, “In the beginning was the word, and the word was God, and the word was with God.” That’s in Genesis. Words are things. You must be careful, careful about calling people out of their names, using racial perjoratives and sexual perjoratives and all that ignorance. Don’t do that. Some day we’ll be able to measure the power of words. I think they are things. They get on the walls. They get in your wallpaper. They get in your rugs, in your upholstery, and your clothes, and finally in to you."

- Maya Angelou

I cannot remember when this conviction in me about the power of words to curse and bless became very very real to me. I reached a point where I was unwilling to or would rather say nothing than say something that will tip the spiritual balance towards Satan. It was as if I could see the spiritual environment around me darken ever so slightly whenever I said something or heard something that was not Godly. I've become increasingly reticent through the years. I firmly believe in the power of words to transform lives - we either bless or curse people through the words we say. I fail, and fail badly sometimes. Thank God that when that happens, I am able to turn to Him and say "Lord, forgive me because I have sinned" and know that I have been forgiven because of His sacrifice at Calvary. Thank God for His grace and love for such a sinner as me.

Ephesians 4:29-32 (New King James Version)

²⁹ Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

The Thought-Fox by Ted Hughes

2011-04-06T23:45:00.000+08:00

I imagine this midnight moment's forest:

Something else is alive

Beside the clock's loneliness

And this blank page where my fingers move.

Through the window I see no star:

Something more near

Though deeper within darkness

Is entering the loneliness:

Cold, delicately as the dark snow

A fox's nose touches twig, leaf;

Two eyes serve a movement, that now

And again now, and now, and now

Sets neat prints into the snow

Between trees, and warily a lame

Shadow lags by stump and in hollow

Of a body that is bold to come

Across clearings, an eye,

A widening deepening greenness,

Brilliantly, concentratedly,

Coming about its own business

Till, with a sudden sharp hot stink of fox

It enters the dark hole of the head.

The window is starless still; the clock ticks,

The page is printed.

Study of the Object - Zbigniew Herbert

2011-04-06T22:52:00.000+08:00

Study of the Object

1

The most beautiful is the object
which does not exist

it does not serve to carry water
or to preserve the ashes of a hero

it was not cradled by Antigone
nor was a rat drowned in it

it has no hole
and is entirely open

seen
from every side
which means
hardly anticipated

the hairs
of all its lines
join
in one stream of light

neither
blindness
nor
death
can take away the object
which does not exist

2

mark the place
where stood the object
which does not exist
with a black square
it will be
a simple dirge
for the beautiful absence

manly regret
imprisoned
in a quadrangle

3

now
all space
swells like an ocean

a hurricane beats
on the black sail

the wing of a blizzard circles
over the black square

and the island sinks
beneath the salty increase

4

now you have
empty space
more beautiful than the object
more beautiful than the place it leaves
it is the pre-world
a white paradise
of all possibilities
you may enter there
cry out
vertical-horizontal
perpendicular lightning
strikes the naked horizon

we can stop at that
anyway you have already created a world

5

obey the counsels
of the inner eye

do not yield
to murmurs mutterings smackings

it is the uncreated world
crowding before the gates of your canvas

angels are offering
the rosy wadding of clouds

trees are inserting everywhere
slovenly green hair

kings are praising purple
and commanding their trumpeters
to gild

even the whale asks for a portrait

obey the counsels of the inner eye
admit no one

6

extract
from the shadow of the object
which does not exist
from polar space
from the stern reveries of the inner eye
a chair

beautiful and useless
like a cathedral in the wilderness

place on the chair
a crumpled tablecloth
add to the idea of order
the idea of adventure

let it be a confession of faith
before the vertical struggling with the horizontal

let it be
quieter than angels
prouder than kings
more substantial than a whale
let it have the face of the last things

we ask reveal o chair
the depths of the inner eye
the iris of necessity
the pupil of death
—Zbigniew Herbert

From The Collected Poems, 1956-1998 (Ecco), translated by Alissa Valles.

Into My Own - Robert Frost

2011-04-06T22:37:00.000+08:00

One of my wishes is that those dark trees,
So old and firm they scarcely show the breeze,
Were not, as 'twere, the merest mask of gloom,
But stretched away unto the edge of doom.

I should not be withheld but that some day
Into their vastness I should steal away,
Fearless of ever finding open land,
Or highway where the slow wheel pours the sand.

I do not see why I should e'er turn back,
Or those should not set forth upon my track
To overtake me, who should miss me here
And long to know if still I held them dear.

They would not find me changed from him they knew—
Only more sure of all I thought was true.
—Robert Frost

A heart that is Yours

2011-04-05T23:57:00.000+08:00

Psalm 114:7-8
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,

At the presence of the God of Jacob,

Who turned the rock into a pool of water,

The flint into a fountain of waters.

Ezekiel 11:19

Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

Lord, sometimes I worry about my heart because I can feel the rocks. Pour out your Spirit into me that I may have a heart of flesh. Grant me that heart for peace-making, which encompasses wisdom, courage, sensitivity, love, devotion to truth and understanding. Amen.

Grey matters - C.S. Lewis gems

2011-04-03T22:57:00.005+08:00

C.S. Lewis:

Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.

The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way."

Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible.

When you have reached your own room, be kind to those who have chosen different doors and to those who are still in the hall. If they are wrong, they need your prayers all the more, and if they are your enemies, then you are under orders to pray for them. That is one of the rules common to the whole house.

We are what we believe we are.

Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.

You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.

Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.

An explanation of cause is not a justification by reason.

The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.

The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.

The warm sun and the cold wind

2011-04-03T22:26:00.000+08:00

I came across a quote by a Japanese corporate executive: "If you need to make someone take off his coat, don't be like a cold wind. You should be like sunlight to make the person take off his coat voluntarily."

For some reason, it made me think of evangelism. How are we to tell people about Christ? Do we "love" them to Christ or do we "hell" them to Christ?

The power in redemption

2011-04-03T00:35:00.000+08:00

A former colleague posed this question on his Facebook profile recently: How does one forgive himself?

I replied to him in this manner:

Here's how I forgive myself:
- I tell myself that forgiveness is difficult, and to to be patient with myself.
- I tell myself to love myself more by for example, doing things for myself that I like (reading books, listening to music, catching... concerts etc) and hanging out with people I like.
- I remind myself always that I am not perfect and should not expect others to be perfect, too.

Walk with me, Lord

2011-03-31T23:37:00.000+08:00

Walk with me, walk with me

Lest mine eyes no longer see

All the glory, all the story of Your love

Walk with me, walk with me

As You walked so lovingly

When You walked there and

You talked there by the sea

Karar March 2011

2011-03-31T23:25:00.000+08:00

Grin and bare it

2011-03-31T23:21:00.000+08:00

Note to self: never bring a novel with the words "a marvelous, original mixture of eroticism and poetry" in tiny print on its front cover to a Christian meeting (regardless that "Swell" won the Greek National Book Award for best novel in 2007 and it's about a captain returning home after 12 years at sea). Was ragged about "eroticism" for 15 minutes. I just had to grin and bare it, oops, I meant, bear it.

Japan's earthquake and the will of God

2011-03-31T23:18:00.000+08:00

Do you think it was God's will?

Excerpt: While it is natural, in the midst of intense grief and loss, to blame both God and ourselves for terrible tragedies (God is punishing me for something I've done/God is punishing our nation for something we've done), these answers miss the mark.

Quotes for thought

2011-03-31T23:11:00.000+08:00

"As I get older, I place less emphasis on what people say and more on what they do."
- Andrew Carnegie

"They will say you are on the wrong road, if it is your own."
- Antonio Porchi

"I always find it more difficult to say the things I mean than the things I don't."
- W.Somerset Maugham

Who's got your back?

2011-03-31T22:50:00.000+08:00

An old Hasidic tale

2011-01-27T01:18:00.000+08:00

The rabbi asked his students: "How can we determine the hour of dawn, when the night ends and the day begins?

One of the rabbi's students suggested: "When from a distance you can distinguish between a dog and a sheep?"

"No," was the answer of the rabbi.

"Is it when one can distinguish between a fig tree and a grapevine?" asked a second student.

"No," the rabbi said.

"Please tell us the answer then," said the students.

"It is, then," said the wise teacher , "when you can look into the face of another human being and you have enough light in you to recognise your brother or your sister. Until then, it is night, and darkness is still with us."

Source: Finding My Way Home (Henri J.M. Nouwen)

Penitent, we breathe Your name

2011-01-10T23:29:00.000+08:00

I recently came across this Steve Green song, Father Hear Your Children, which I loved. He came across it in an old Lutheran hymnal and put some music to it.

Father, Hear Your Children

Father, hear Your children call
Humbly at Your feet we fall
Prodigals, confessing all
To the cross we bring our blame
All our life-long sin and shame
Penitent, we breathe Your name
Penitent, we breathe Your name

By Your love, by Your grace
By the blood of Jesus wash our sins away
Make us new today
Hear us as we pray

We're blind, but pray for eyes to see
Where we're bound, Lord make us free
Stained, we plead for purity
Where we're sick, apply Your cure
Take our guilt and make us pure
For Your mercy Lord, is sure
For Your mercy Lord, is sure

Lord, we have no other place to go
Only You can heal the wounding of our soul
Let forgiveness flow
Let forgiveness flow

Traditional Hymn, Public Domain
Additional Lyrics by Steve Green
© 2007 Birdwing Music (admin. by EMI CMG Publishing) / Steve Green Music (admin. by EMI CMG Publishing) (ASCAP)

Reflections on 2010

2010-12-26T23:33:00.000+08:00

January

"Your abilities and interests are an important part of the will of God for your life... Be yourself - your best self - and God will use you in a special way."

"It's not how much we have to start with that really counts but what we have to show for it at the end."
- Warren Wiersbe

February

“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”

“Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.”

“Hear the other side.”

- St Augustine

March

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shTQ5UTbfsM

Sometimes I feel like

I've never been nothing but tired

And I'll be walking

Till the day I expire

Sometimes I lay down

No more can I do

But then I go on again

Because you ask me to

Some days I look down

Afraid I will fall

And though the sun shines

I see nothing at all

Then I hear your sweet voice, oh

Oh, come and then go, come and then go

Telling me softly

You love me so

April

April 12: I went to hospital yesterday morning to pray for a friend's mom who's dying of nose cancer. I had to put on a mask, put antibacterial foam on my hands before entering the ICU room. My friend's mum reached for my hand and I held hers and started to pray for her while trying very hard not to cry. Later that same night, I received an sms from the friend saying that her mom had died.

For myself, I don't think it will be the last time that I will be praying for people in such difficult times so I guess there's always a first time.

Still, at such times like this, 99% of whatever I consider important in my life recedes and I am left with God and God alone. That is life-changing.

May

As we walk with God, we soon fall in step with Him - meaning we align ourselves with His purpose and His heart. And because we're walking with Him, we are both heading in the same direction - with a destination in mind. And because we're right next to Him, we increasingly grow more and more sensitive to Him and what is on His heart. This will then guide us in what we say and what we do.

June

“I walked a mile with Pleasure, She chatted all the way, But left me none the wiser For all she had to say. I walked a mile with Sorrow, And ne'er word said she But, oh, the things I learned from her When Sorrow walked with me!”

- Robert Browning Hamilton

July

Job and his wife became Christians the same way most Chinese do: A friend who was visiting the couple in their home simply shared the gospel. "She came for 24 hours, and she preached the gospel for 20," Job says of an evening five years ago.

August

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2D0g4Kizto

I will fall at Your feet

And I will worship You here

Your presence in me

Jesus light the way

By the power of Your word

I am restored

I am redeemed

By Your Spirit I am free

Isaiah 43: 1-2 (ESV)

Israel’s Only Savior

But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

September

1 Thessalonians 5:18

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some people will ever read.

October

Boldness in prayer comes when I am assured that the spirit of asking and the thing I've asked for are both according to the will of God.

- Andrew Murray

November

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBhaX0eDBbY

We come with beautiful secrets

We come with purposes written on our hearts, written on our souls

We come to every new morning

With possibilities only we can hold, that only we can hold

Redemption comes in strange place, small spaces

Calling out the best of who we are

December

"Faith is to the soul what life is to the body.

Prayer is to faith what breath is to the body.

How a person can live and not breathe

is past my comprehension,

and how a person can believe and not pray

is past my comprehension too."

- J.C.Ryle

Lord, thank you for reminding me that spending time with you is the most necessary and important step towards strengthening my personal relationship with you. Lord, forgive me for the mornings and the nights when I thought prayer burdensome and superfluous. Only when I commune with you, Lord, will I be able to break my heart for what breaks Yours and be increasingly sensitive to the Holy Spirit's prompting, so that I can love and serve others as You did when You were on earth. Lord, place in my heart this deep insatiable yearning for You and Your Word, so that I may know Your purpose for my life.

Amen.

What are your five loaves and two fishes?

2010-12-14T22:17:00.000+08:00

Five loaves and two fishes - Corrinne May

So take my five loaves and two fishes
Do with it as you will
I surrender
Take my fears and my inhibitions
All my burdens, my ambitions
...You can use it all
No gift is too small

Whatever you have, offer it to Jesus who will use it way beyond what you can ever imagine. No gift is too small.

Despite all my faults

2010-12-09T00:54:00.001+08:00

A friend was troubled about the direction in her life. I asked her if I could pray for her and what she would want me to pray about. She requested that I pray for wisdom so that she could be more clear about what she wanted to do with her life. Then she asked me what she could do for me because it seemed to her that I was always praying for others but surely I myself would also need some support. I was very touched by what she said because it was nice to be asked what your own need was, by the person you're praying for. I told her that I, too, have issues; I, too, are not perfect; and that I, too, hope that friends, like herself, would accept me despite all my faults. She said okay.

2010-12-09T00:25:00.000+08:00

Every breath we take

2010-12-09T00:17:00.000+08:00

"Faith is to the soul what life is to the body.

Prayer is to faith what breath is to the body.

How a person can live and not breathe

is past my comprehension,

and how a person can believe and not pray

is past my comprehension too."

- J.C.Ryle

Be strong in the Lord and never give up hope

2010-11-17T22:29:00.000+08:00

Sidewalk Prophets - The Words I Would Say

Three in the morning, and I'm still awake
So I picked up a pen and a page
And I started writing just what I'd say
If we were face to face I'd tell you just what you mean to me
Tell you these simple truths

Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You're gonna do great things
I already know God's got His hand on You
So don't live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don't forget why you're here
Take your time and pray
These are the words I would say

Last time we spoke you said you were hurting
And I felt your pain in my heart
I want to tell you that I keep on praying
That love will find you where you are
I know 'cause I've already been there
So please hear these simple truths

Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You're gonna do great things
I already know God's got His hand on You
So don't live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don't forget why you're here
Take your time and pray
These are the words I would say

Say from one simple life to another I will say
Come find peace in the Father

Be strong in the Lord
And never give up hope
You're gonna do great things
I already know God's got His hand on You
So don't live life in fear
Forgive and forget
But don't forget why you're here
Take your time and pray
And thank God for each day
His love will find a way
These are the words I would say

This is grace, an invitation to be beautiful

2010-11-17T22:26:00.000+08:00

Add To The Beauty - Sara Groves

We come with beautiful secrets
We come with purposes written on our hearts, written on our souls
We come to every new morning
With possibilities only we can hold, that only we can hold

Redemption comes in strange place, small spaces
Calling out the best of who we are

And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside

It comes in small inspirations
It brings redemption to life and work
To our lives and our work

It comes in loving community
It comes in helping a soul find it's worth

Redemption comes in strange places, small spaces
Calling out the best of who we are

And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside

This is grace, an invitation to be beautiful
This is grace, an invitation

Redemption comes in strange places, small spaces
Calling out our best

And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside

Love is the river that flows through

2010-11-17T22:23:00.000+08:00

Love never fails - Brandon Heath

Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most

Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside

Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you

Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time

Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t

Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you

When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this

Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life

Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you

In full swing

2010-10-21T22:01:00.002+08:00

The Balancing Barn located near the village of Thorington in Suffolk.

A playful abode with the swing adding a whimsical touch.

When I was looking at this picture,

it reminded me of my relationship with God.

Just as the little girl sits on the swing,

confident that the house will not collapse on her;

so, too, should I also place my full confidence in God,

taking my place where He wants me to be,

knowing that I am under His protection

and He is always supporting me

even though I may not always see

the full picture from where I'm at

A nice gesture

2010-10-21T21:49:00.000+08:00

I was very touched when someone said to me earlier today that she had prayed for me the day before. Sometimes I forget that I also need to depend on others and to seek seek help and/or prayer when I'm in a bind or facing difficult challenges etc. A mental note to self - no man is an island. :-)

Longings of the heart

2010-10-10T21:41:00.000+08:00

The holy passion of the bride (by Micke Bickle)

Longings of the Heart

Into every human heart God has built seven specific longings that can be satisfied only through our identity as the bride of Christ. As we come to an increased understanding of the bridal paradigm and allow Jesus as our Bridegroom to meet these desires, I believe the Holy Spirit will cause us to overflow in emotional wholeness, with gladness.

It’s important that God supernaturally strengthen our emotions. I believe an unprecedented emotional crisis will confront all who live on the earth in the generation in which the Lord returns. Sinful perversions, occult activity, divine judgments and martyrdom will reach the highest intensity ever witnessed in history. Supernatural emotional strength will be vital in light of the coming global crisis of social, spiritual, economic, political and emotional disruption.

Only a satisfied people who are happy in God will be equipped to stand in that hour. God intends to empower us and give us all the emotional resources we need by answering the longings of our hearts.

1. The longing for assurance that we are loved. This is where we begin our introduction to the romance of the Gospel. In every heart God has placed a craving to be pursued, delighted in and enjoyed—first by God, then by our families and friends. It is so integral to our identity that we become emotionally crippled when we feel rejection and shame from God or from others.

2. The longing for enjoyment. There is a second craving in every human heart— a longing to marvel and to be fascinated, awestruck and filled with endless wonder. The secular entertainment industry has identified this human longing for enjoyment and has exploited it commercially—to their own profit and to our ruin. So many of us search endlessly through worldly entertainment and recreation to fulfill this God-given craving.

3. The longing to be beautiful. Every one of us longs to possess beauty and to feel beautiful. No wonder: A beautiful God created us in such a way that we long to possess and feel his imparted beauty. Unfortunately, our culture has an obsession with physical appearance and vanity because it seeks to answer this legitimate longing in a wrong way. Most of us pursue carnal beauty because we feel so unsettled and unhappy when we feel ugly.

4. The longing to be great. In the core of our being, we long to be successful and noble. Our great God created us with the pursuit of greatness programmed deep within our emotional genetics. Sometimes we misunderstand this longing and assume that we must repent of it, but this isn’t true. We cannot repent of the God-given longing to be great—only of pursuing it in a wrong way.

5. The longing for intimacy without shame. We long to know and be known before the Lord. God put this longing in us because he wants us to find its deepest satisfaction in experiencing intimacy with him. This spiritual intimacy is available to the redeemed.

6. The longing to be wholehearted and passionate. In our hearts we long to possess the power to abandon ourselves completely to God. We long to avoid the spiritual boredom, disloyalty and compromise that leave us broken and discontent. We desire the ability to give the deepest affection of our hearts back to the Lord (see Matt. 22:37).

7. The longing to make a deep and lasting impact. As human beings we are desperate for a life of meaning, relevance and significance. We long to make a contribution to the lives of those we care about. We experience great enjoyment when we bring pleasure to others.

On my knees

2010-10-10T21:31:00.000+08:00