Peanuts and Christmas

A video I came across today. Enjoy!

My Heart would be your Bethlehem.

Hihi, we sang this anthem (beautifully) last year during Christmas.

It is still fresh in my memory, truly one of the best written Christmas songs I've heard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6x5ZIVCSX4&feature=related

Really like the arrangement for this one.

They interwoved a traditional Christmas hymn.

If you listen carefully, the piano comes in with "Glo......ria", in the interlude as well.

The modulation was a little surprise :)

"My heart, my will, my mind, my all, I consecrate to bring."

Reason for the Season...

O.O It's December.

omg, one month left to 2010! :(

Lights are up, cakes are out, presents on sale.

There is this popular chain store here that had this promotional tagline

"Wats Christmas without WXXXXS'S?"

The world still doesn't get it, What is Christmas?

I'm guilty of planning my Christmas shopping, thinking of the cards, presents and food.

Then the tagline reminded me to stop.

"Wats Christmas without Christ?"

Ahah, Christmas is the time to spread some love.

I so think that Valentine's Day is not the season to love, we've got it all wrong!
(Loving has no season, by the way)

Anyway, there can be giving during Christmas as well, don't get me wrong.

But, I figured we must plan the budget of giving wisely.

Surely that brother or sister doesn't need another box of chocolate, bar of soap or bottle of wine.

How about something intangible?

Or an extra offering to a stranger, to a mission, to a needy child somewhere, to a needy brother somewhere?

Give, by all means. And don't hold back the Love of giving.

Now, just to get you into the mood for love...

(Courtesy of Corbis.com)

Follow the leader

Follow the Leader. It is a game which only works when you have one leader (at any instance).

1. Is God our one and only leader of our lives? Who else can be our leader?

God will make a way, where there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see. He will make a way for me. He will be my guide, hold me closely to his side. With love and strength for each new day, he will make a way. He will make a way.

2. Do we regard God as our leader only when we have problems and have no way out?

3. If he is our leader, are we his obedient followers?

May the Lord always be our one and only leader of our lives.

For You are my rock and my fortress; For Your name's sake You will lead me and guide me. (Psalm 31:3)

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley,I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4)

Surely he deserves more

There was this group of people in a workshop. They did this activity: to look for a partner and look at each other for one minute. There was this old woman and she found herself a partner. As she looked at her partner, who was looking at her. Tears rolled down her eyes and the workshop trainer saw that. Later when there was a break, the old woman was approached by the workshop trainer.

WT: Are you okay?

OW: Yea...I am fine.

(WT felt unconvinced)

WT: I saw you tearing a moment ago. Are you really okay?

OW: To tell you the truth, it's been some time since someone gave me attention for even one minute.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

I was just thinking about this incident on my way home. In this world filled with competing desires, do we spent even spend one minute talking to God? Do we give Him undivided attention, to hear what he wants to say to us for even a minute?

Perhaps he is tearing right now because you have not done so. He values our devotion to Him because we mean something to Him. He values us because he loves us and he is love.

Surely he deserves more.

There are problems. Hence, the probes.

Today's practice was thought-provoking. A series of simple questions were posed to us. One of the was this: how many ways are there to sing 'la'? Theoretically, infinite. Another was this: why do we want to sing together? Can't we just do with a solo and a microphone?

Sometimes, simple questions are difficult to answer. Perhaps we had the answer, but we could not find the right words to form a simple answer. Also, there may be a tendency to be turned-off with simple questions. However, if we do not consider the simple questions, would they not become difficult to answer?

So why are simple questions necessary? (notice this is another simple question)

1. To warm-up our brain.

2. To check our understanding.

3. To listen to other people's answer.

4. Because we need to establish common grounds (especially important for co-workers)

5. Because behind simple questions lie big concepts which we should be aware of.

(And the list goes on, non-exhaustive...)

Think through. Think thorough.

Think: The Life of the Mind & the Love of God

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/conference-messages/by-conference/2010-national-conference

I want to play the piano.

Hi friends,

Some time ago, I stumbled upon this piece of song that I once heard, got mesmerized but could never remember the title. And then I found it! Didn't know then it was composed by a rather famous pianist.

His name is Yiruma. (Korean)

Some people might know his "River Flows In Me", which is strangely called "Bella's theme song" in the Twilight movie. But, that's not the point........

My point is, this pianist is serious stuff.

Reason being, he manages to paint a picture in my head as I'm listening to the song (simple reason). Like an image flows through his fingers in a way that my clumsy expression fails to explain.

Anyway, if anyone knows where to buy his album, please tell me.

If you are keen to know,

www.yiruma.com

Teaser:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PExdC9sdAPw

Please share any good music you come across!

Kamsahamnida! :D

eat, drink and be merry

A good part of my last couple of months in school, I struggled with the meaning(lessness) of work. If what we do here on earth gets washed away like sandcastles, then what is the point of all the toil and labour?

Perhaps we’ve been viewing work as some sort of punishment. Since the fall, man was driven out of Eden and condemned to a life of labour and futility (Genesis 3: 16-19).

But labour and futility does not equate to futile labour.

Why should we work?

Because God worked too.
He created the world and saw that it was good (Genesis 1:31). He’s still working and sustains all that He has created (Psalm 104). He was at work in human history – redemption and salvation – seen vividly in Israel’s history.

Because He has given us the privilege to work with Him.
He made man to rule over His creations (Genesis 1:26) and cultivate the land (Genesis 2:15). Did He need the help of human beings? No! He is not served by human hands (Acts 17:25). Rather, He gave us the privilege of sharing in His work. Work is a gift of God.

“Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to
find satisfaction in his toilsome labour under the sun during the few days of
life God has given him – for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man
wealth and possessions and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be
happy in his work – this is a gift of God.” (Ecclesiastes 5: 18-19)

This is what gives the secular adage eat, drink and be merry a biblical slant.
Thank God for His gift!

*I owe this piece of writing to brother Yi Qiang, who shared this topic with me on two occasions, six months apart. I was doubly encouraged and I hope those who are in the midst of EOYs find joy in your studies =)

Dear friends, befriend God.

We sang 不再孤单 today. The song painted a beautiful picture of what our relationship with God should be. The lyrics were simple to understand. We understood what we sang.

But what does it mean when we say 主耶稣是你最好的朋友?

Do we enjoy spending time with Him? Do we look forward to converse with Him?

David sought for God day and night; Moses spoke with Him daily; and Abraham, believing and obeying the Father, was called 'Friend of God' (James 2:23).

May we learn the joys of being God's friend every single day. =)

一首歌的意义。

今晚，在与友人msn闲聊天时，想到了要给他听一首歌。

这首歌就是《在我心房定居》。我们8月刚献唱的。

他听的当儿，我问他，“听清楚歌词吗？”，
他说，“不是很清楚...但歌大部份是这样子的”。

于是我抄了歌词给他看。

听完之后他就说，“这（就）一首歌说出了很多道理”（这时我明白他明白了）。

我心里点头，感到很欣慰。。。

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


通常每当我们献完一首诗歌便会很自然的到处问问看听者的意见或感想。


“How did you find the 献唱？”

“Oh, it was not bad, quite good actually... Couldn't really hear the guys though."

"Some notes were flat here and there but overall good.."

or "I really liked the new arrangment of the song!" etc.


之前跟另一位友人聊到的时候，他说他很希望听到，“听这首歌的时候，我想到了。。。”
或者“我的感触是。。。”，类似这样的回应。我深有同感。


当然技术上的建议是有利无弊的，这代表他们很仔细在听，我们虚心听取。


可是往往最能激励唱者的，是给予他们唱一首歌的意义上的肯定，理解和苟同。
因为在唱之前是经过很多反思的，尤其是筛选的时候。

有时我们自己会不自觉的陷入极力在技巧或效果上进步，虽然我们也很在意唱诗的意义和目的。


So the next time, hey dom7th, 我们可以问得比较单刀直入一点 :)

“So, what about the song impacted you?" or "What about the song made you think?"


希望接下来献唱的诗歌都能让大家听得出其中道理和意义（除了耳油之外）。

I Asked The Lord That I Might Grow

by John Newton

I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek, more earnestly, His face.

’Twas He who taught me thus to pray,
And He, I trust, has answered prayer!
But it has been in such a way,
As almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that in some favored hour,
At once He’d answer my request;
And by His love’s constraining pow’r,
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry pow’rs of hell
Assault my soul in every part.

Yea more, with His own hand He seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

Lord, why is this, I trembling cried,
Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death?
“’Tis in this way, the Lord replied,
I answer prayer for grace and faith.

These inward trials I employ,
From self, and pride, to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou may’st find thy all in Me.”
________________________________________

It's really fun reading all three groups' critique of the two texts from last Saturday. The exercise was a window into your minds: the role of a choir in church, what consitutes 'good' art etc.

I came across this poem/prayer by John Newton while looking for the two texts for critique and revisited it again when the critiques were done, thinking to myself, THIS will fit everyone's criteria, haha.

Enjoy =)

Know The One

A: There is only one of them there.
B: Where? There are so many of them on the rack! And they all look almost the same!

In a messy world we live in, know that there is only one God. Seek to know Him more, so that we can tell what is of Him and differentiate who/what are the counterfeit gods messing in our lives!

Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good. (Job 34:4)

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11)

I had the girls in mind when I took this photo.. haha!

And then I had myself in mind

I decided to mock raffles abit.

For the last one.. notice that's a law firm?

在我心房定居
教导我什么值得去努力
因为我今日留下的足迹
有一天这世界将不再记起

一种惯性的追求
成为生存的理由
充满我心占据我心
日子却空虚依旧

在我心房定居
告诉我生命的真谛
因为人间的悲欢合离
有一天我将不再知悉

Pray and Persevere in Watchfulness

"With all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. " (Ephesians 6:18 -RSV)

May the word of God burn into our hearts so that we see more meaning in prayer.

特别的爱给特别的你

Does the title sound familiar? It is a song sung by Sky Wu (伍思凯). The title came to my mind just a few days before the anthem. I took this 9 words (out of its' original context) because we know of this special someone who manifested His special love towards us while we were sinners.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5: 6 -8)

Who/What made us special?

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27)

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ...But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Cor 4:6-7)

Yes. We were created by Him to be ordinarily special and it is only possible to be the light of the world when the true light is in us.

因为主人特别所以我们特别...所以生命特别.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)

How are you doing, channel?

Yesterday we sang “Channels Only, Of Your Power”.

Channels Only, Blessed Master,
But will all your wondrous pow’r.
Flowing through us, you can use us everyday and every hour.

I glanced at the English lyrics for a moment. Prior to that, I realized my brain tried to associate this song with another matter, when I was lying on my bed. (It is just strange how thoughts come about).

The Stamford Canal drainage system was blocked, causing Orchard Road to flood recently. It was quite a big HOO HA and perhaps God was trying to say something to us.

A canal exist to channel water to where it should flow to and when we talk about flow, it is continuous. So, a clogged canal will not function properly.

If we are channels of God’s power, are we clogged up, hindering the flow?
Are our hearts submissive to God, willing to do His will?

Making more sense

Thanks for the reminder, Fu Xing. I think I was guilty of it at some point last year, when I realised I was discomforted when served by my juniors. It was really a humbling experience when God revealed the subtleties of my pride to me. Through it, I have seen the beauty of the intricate network running through the body of Christ.

The sad thing is, it doesn’t really happen very often.

That isn’t to say that the structure (the network) itself is faulty but in our self-loving nature, we stop the network from working effectively.

It’s not that we don’t see others’ needs – we do! In fact, sometimes it is conveyed explicitly, making it impossible for one to plea oblivion, but instead of putting our hearts into it and getting our hands dirty, our minds jumpstart to deflect any sort of responsibility with our human reason.

There are very real and undesirable consequences, some I see pertaining to Dominant 7th.

A ministry cannot rest on just one person. One person is not much of a network. When the members are unwilling to take ownership and responsibility towards this choir, most of the work rests on the leader – decision-making, planning, administration, logistics…It can get quite helpless when I hear grouses and excuses when someone is asked to set up the mikes, bring down the speakers, lead warm-ups/sharings/prayers…Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still gladly do these if no one offers to help. But there’s just something very wrong here: we’re not designed to work alone!

Burnout issues aside, the leader has his/her blind spots and will need biblical reminders, admonishments, discussions to make God-pleasing decisions. Where else is s/he to get them from except from fellow brothers and sisters, who are steeped in truth and walk in the light?

Please pray with me, that we will be moved to help one another serve Him better and our motivations be found in Christ alone!

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose…do not merely look out for your own personal interests but also for the interests of others.

Philippians 2: 1-2, 4

How it made more sense

Recently, my 写照 was published on 风铃 and I drew out the implications of 1 Cor 12:12-26.
"With God's glory at stake, are we behaving like we can continue serving God without one another's help?"

It was a general question, written not with the intention to pin-point anyone specifically, but to keep us in check of our attitude in service. This question made more sense when I read one of my devotions last week. This is what the author said:

Why is it so hard for me to accept help, especially when a dozen people have offered? In a small way, my attitude smacks of Peter's response to Jesus when the Lord was ready to wash his feet. "What? You, wash my feet? No way, I can't let you serve me like that! You have more important things to do! I'll do it myself!" Guess what's at the center of that attitude? The desire not to "inconvenience" anyone because "I can do it, really" is often intertwined with simple, sinful pride. Accepting help means accepting my limits. It means being humbled by others' service, and I'd rather not, thank you.

Perhaps she is right. The possibility is there. Personally, I think guys have this tendency to take a load more than they can manage. Sadly, the more we try to uphold the masculine front, the more our foolishness and pride become visible. This behavior seems to express the idea that we believe in God but at the same time, believe that we have the strength to take our matters to our own hands.

Where is the humility? Are we really doing things and "DIYing" things out of love and not out of pride? May the Lord humble us as we come to help one another carry burdens.

Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (Galatians 6:2-3)

最好时光

经常在少年团契职员的祷告会听到这样的代祷事项：求主帮助我，使我更有纪律，能每天灵修。他们接着又会说他们到了读经、灵修的时间已经非常疲惫了，经常在还没有读完之前就睡着了。

最近我才恍然大悟，反过来问他们，为什么用自己最累的那段时间来赴上帝的约会呢？如果在事工上我们精益求精，愿意将自己最好的摆上，为什么到了将时间摆上的时候，我们竟然没有同样的意识呢？

把上好的时间献给主吧。

智者在传道书是持着这精神来劝勉我们：“当趁着你年幼，衰败的日子尚未来到……当记念造你的上主！”（传道书12：1） 在你还看得清楚的时候（12：2）、骨头牙齿还硬朗的时候（12：3）、耳朵还灵巧的时候（12：4）、头发还未苍白的时候（12：5）喜乐欢畅。

青少年时期是人生顶峰时期，是精力最旺盛、四肢最灵活、思维最敏锐的时候。在一生还未定型前，身体还未退化、衰败前，将身心奉献于主，让上帝用你一生之久，祝福与造就他人，这是何等美妙的一件事情！

把上好的时间献给主吧！

也许您会说，我已经不是少年人了，最好的时期已经过去了。想想：在世仅剩的年日，今天也许最灿烂！

“趁今年，趁今天，我要为主歌唱；
现在就是最好时光，让我为主歌唱！”

The two incidents

I've thought of 2 incidents which I believe will be interesting if they are placed side by side. Namely, the construction of the Tower of Babel and the day of Pentacost.

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."

So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth. (Genesis 11:1-8)
_________________________________________________________________________________

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" (Acts 2:1-11)

While God has the power to drive apart people, he also has the power to bring people together for his purposes. May we find true unity in Christ, live by the Spirit and do all things for His glory.

Amazing Grace (from an amazing voice)

Inaccurate lyrics aside (it's Taiwan, so...), great voice and extremely skillful musical expression - an immensely beautiful rendition.

Something to think about: Does it matter whether he knew the meaning of the lyrics?

Meditation on labor

*clears up the cobwebs*

Hi all. I came here to share about my meditations on labor on Labor day.
Let us look at a few passages.

When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:4b-7)

God created us and desires for us to work, not for ourselves but for Him. Initially, it may refer to manual work to maintain this creation. Now we should consider it as general work and work to keep things running, in a way to help to maintain the society and economy.

God desires us to be his co-worker. That being said, he is not handing all the work to us but working alongside with us. Systematically the passage showed that God did his part by damping the ground with water in the streams, before creating man as solutions (v6) to the problems mentioned in the preceding verse (v5).

Next passage I want to share will be Ecclesiastes 3:9-15.

What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.

Here King Solomon also sees work as a God-given task. I believe God wants us to appreciate the beauty of His work and and so we should make our work beautiful too. God wants us to enjoy working for him and view work as a gift from Him. Therefore, we need to thank God for work.

The last point is that God does all that he does for us because he wants us to revere Him and hence, all that we do should be an act of reciprocating his love for us. That being said, through work we can be a good testimony to God. May it bring others to revere Him too.

Let us do all our part for Him in reverence of Him. If work is not done for Him and our satisfaction is not derived from Him, everything that we are pursuing are but vanities; All is vanity and grasping for the passing wind.

Love Lustres At Calvary

MY FATHER,
Enlarge my heart, warm my affections, open my lips,
___supply words that proclaim ‘Love lustres at Calvary’.
There grace removes my burdens and heaps them on thy Son,
___made a transgressor, a curse and a sin for me;
There the sword of thy justice smote the man, thy fellow;
There thy infinite attributes were magnified,
___and infinite atonement was made;
There infinite punishment was due,
___and infinite punishment was endured.

Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy,
______cast off that I might be brought in,
______trodden down as an enemy
_________that I might be welcomed as friend,
______surrendered to hell’s worst
_________that I might attain heaven’s best,
______stripped that I might be clothed,
______wounded that I might be healed,
______athirst that I might drink,
______tormented that I might be comforted,
______made a shame that I might inherit glory,
______entered darkness that I might have eternal light.

My Saviour wept all tears that might be wiped from my eyes,
______groaned that I might have endless song,
______endured all pain that I might have unfading health,
______bored a thorned crown that I might have a glory-diadem,
______bowed his head that I might uplift mine,
______experienced reproach that I might receive welcome,
______closed his eyes in death that I might gaze on unclouded brightness,
______expired that I might for ever live.

O Father, who spared not thine only Son that thou mightest spare me,
All this transfer thy love designed and accomplished;
Help me to adore thee by lips and life.
O that my every breath might be ecstatic praise,
___my every step buoyant with delight, as I see
______my enemies crushed,
______Satan baffled, defeated, destroyed,
______sin buried in the ocean of reconciling blood,
______hell’s gates closed, heaven’s portal open.

Go forth, O conquering God, and show me the cross,
___mighty to subdue, comfort and save.

another leaf from
The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan prayers and devotions

Questions to ponder

Today, I read the the Book of Luke (chapter 22 till the end). While I was re-enacting the events which took place before Jesus' crucifixion, I wondered how Barabbas, the rebel (John 18:40) and murderer (Luke 23:18-19), felt when he was released instead of Jesus. He was probably felt relieved when he escaped the death penalty.

Would he want to know about Jesus, who seem to be most undeserving of this most cruel punishment? Would he care less about Him who, in a way, died in his place?

罪人之中有我为首，是否还能蒙主赦宥？
How different are we from Barabbas?

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." (Luke 23:39-42)

Do we fear God? Do we join the crowd to mock at Him or join the crowd to repent and weep for ourselves (Luke 23:28)? Are we in deep repentance?

Let's pray that we 'may not enter into temptation' (Luke 22:40b).
求使我诚心悔改
为我过犯满悲哀
过去悖逆今深悔
痛哭归主永离罪

Betrayal

(picture taken from http://www.snoopy.com/)

Words from yesterday's sermon still linger in my mind. It reminded me of this sentence that Auntie Song Ci said.

"不要让你的行为出卖你的信心!"

As we read about the Judas betraying his teacher(Jesus), I thought perhaps he was not the only one who betrayed Jesus. Peter denied his relationship with Jesus, with fear that his association/relationship with him will bring him danger/death. Perhaps we have betrayed him too. We may have hidden our relationship with God. We may have said or done something which hurt Jesus. We may have pushed Jesus away to pull something else (i.e money, fame, pride etc) towards us.

As we enter the period of Lent, let us once again bring our broken and contrite heart before God
and seek to know our loving savior more. May godly sorrow bring about enduring repentance.

A familiar song...

I was preparing the quiet time material for choir prac yesterday and I recalled the funny, awkward, sweet and warm performance that the guys did for the girls a couple of years back. (I think someone did upload the video on this blog. Look through the archives, yah?)

Anyway, I played with the idea of using part of the song to capture the special, wondrous relationship God has with us. Happy Valentine's Day! <3>

L is for the way You LOOK at me…

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good…” (Genesis 1: 31)

“But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation…” (Colossians 1: 22)

O is for the ONLY ONE I see…

“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in the temple.” (Psalm 27: 4)

V is VERY VERY extraordinary…

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15: 13)

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5: 8)

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgression – it is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2: 4 – 5)

E is EVEN MORE than anyone that you adore…

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ…” (Philippians 3: 7 – 8)

Radical love

To love at all is to be vulnerable. ~ C.S. Lewis

Today, we had a sobering reminder that love is not self-seeking but rather, self-denial.
The self seekers expect gain from a relationship but God wants us to think about his concept of love and see love in a different light.

Here in Luke Chapter 6:27-36 is a snippet of what God's love is about: loving your enemies. One who study his words will wonder what he mean when he said that "to him who strikes you in one cheek, offer the other also(1). And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either(2). Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back(3)."

That's insane! You mean I have to do this literally? Just what is Jesus getting at?

1. In the midst of rejection, Jesus wants us to continue to serve Him even if it mean exposing yourselves to the threat of rejection. Love is vulnerable, likely subjected to repeated abuse.

2. One should not seek revenge but remain exposed. One should also be willing to take even more risks because of love.

3. One is to be generous (= putting others' needs first = self-denial) and not keep count.

Such self-denial is the essence of love. The consummate example is the cross, where Jesus gave to those who had taken.

• When God commanded us to love our neighbours as we love ourselves did it occur to you that our neighbours actually include our enemies?
• Having known the love of God, are we sensitive to the conditions of our neighbours? Do we put ourselves in their shoes before we judge them?

May God's love compel us to love like how he loves us.

God is always ready to love

The parable of the prodigal sons tells us that we have a father unlike any other.
We may not be ready to be God's children but God is always ready to be our father.
We may not be ready to be God's lamb (Isaiah 53:6) but God is always willing to take care of us.

Have we yet to lay our deadly 'goodness' down before Jesus and embrace him as our only good?

ref : http://download.redeemer.com/sermons/The_Prodigal_Sons.mp3

thousands of words

崎岖高低... sorta.

Its quite black and white. 黑白记忆 i guess..

Our dear Lord isn't away when we're down, neither is he just standin' there. He brought along tissues...

Shoes left in a hurry. "Proof" of abandonment. Oh God! WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME!

My bible. In there is the promise of fellowship on the journey of the cross.. the dude in the song doesnt think the promise is true.. hence the bible's discarded and collecting dirt.. well, sand.

Plain: memories sealed in a bottle. Imperishable. The bottle was some really robust stuff, i tried to crack it open with a piece of solid metal... didnt work.. or maybe the heat from the sun was really getting into me.

The cone shell, recorder of the sea. You listen to it and hear the sound of the sea, right?

Hence, instead of really somehow projecting (or photoshopping) memories into the night sky, here's the substitute.

The sleeping bag represents "having had" the dream. It saves the photographers alot of trouble which will be incurred should the photos be taken at night.

- photo by Tucky

Dear Dominant 7th,

Footprints in the Sand once told me its lesson with great force – His great love and faithfulness, my blindness and weakness. Through the years, it has lost its impact on me. I would recognize it immediately in its clichéd form, printed on a photograph of a set of footprints (or two) on the sand by the beach, and go, “Ah, THAT story, I know how it goes” then move on to other things, without giving it another thought.

Weeks of uninspiring rehearsals passed and I wondered if there’s any worth in singing this song at all? Surely you guys have heard, read and seen this, now even sung it more than a dozen times. Is there anything more, something to inspire an inspiring rendition, perhaps?

你说只要紧紧跟随你
你会陪我走到底
为何当我最忧伤低迷
你却选择远离

I saw myself staking a claim to a promise that He’s made, suggesting that I was faithful even in the tough times and implying that He did not keep His side of the bargain to walk with me. As I began to read between the lines, I saw a child, an ego-centric child, thinking like a child, talking like a child, having not the slightest idea what was actually happening. Beneath all the hurt, pain and disappointment lay self-righteousness, demanding that I be rightfully rewarded for what I had done.

“……
亲爱的宝贝我疼你
永不会将你撇弃
当你软弱
双脚无力
可知道狂风中
我怀抱着你 ”

How little I understood of His grace!
If He hadn’t chose me, called me, would I have followed Him?
If He hadn’t carried me, kept me, would I have continued on this path with Him?
Did I even have the capacity, the strength to do anything righteous out of my own accord?

It’s only when we come to grips with our total depravity that we begin to comprehend the depth of His love and open our eyes to His infinite glory.

May His love be our inspiration this Sunday, for us to carry each note with gratitude for His glory.

Love, Apple

yes, during sermon there was this voice resounding in my head.
must write, must write....

well the verse for the sermon was phil 1:9
9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,

as usual, a chinese methodist pastor would go and say
hence, we must achieve a balance between our biblical knowledge and our love for one another.

that'd miss the point, because there is no balance to speak of if true spiritual knowledge results in greater love: which you'll discover in verse 10
10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ,
Not reckless love, but righteous God glorifying love.

thank God, the pastor didnt go "as usual" and delivered the message as it is.

my contention? balance.
i dislike the word balance because people just misunderstand it.
this is imbalance, as many think, and are right in think so..
____
____
____
____
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balance, as they think


____ ____
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not so, balance isnt the compromise of one leading to the rise of another.
If the rows on the left represent knowledge and the right represents love, what are we saying?
that an avid reader of the bible and spiritual books should put down his book and start trying to manufacture affections of love for the people around him?
Not so, if he is lacking in love, let him repent. What safer way to repent than to continue keeping himself deeply rooted in meditation of His word?
The Christian balance is radical, it is not a compromise:
____ ____
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____ ____
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This, is then a balance worthy of being called "Christ-likeness".
God is infinite, and has infinite zeal in everything he does. His justice, His mercy, the wrath He made Jesus bear on the cross, His love, His glory etc.
If as Christians we seek to conform to the image of Christ, then such is the balance we want to seek in our lives.
And God isn't being harsh on us by demanding such a standard. Refer to the message at the start of this post!
God says to you that if indeed you comprehend (hence grow) in knowledge, then your love will be refined, will grow, as well!

He has prepared ahead of us a perfect mechanism to help us.
Hence, do not be discouraged, it isn't easy, but God already knows.

2010

"Time has no divisions to mark its passage; there is never a thunder-storm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols."

-- Thomas Mann

My sentiments exactly. But count each day, we must, and make each day count.

Each day is as new as the one that starts the year.
Every moment is a new beginning, a new resurrection–
dying to our old selves, living in Christ, with Christ, for Christ.

"Teach us to number our days aright,
____that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
- Psalms 90:12