Sunday, October 26, 2008
Still Not there Yet...tired...
Today, I learnt the humbling lesson that I'm still far from being a nice guy. Yeap...
Today's Status...tired...
Anyway, ate a hearty breakfast.
I took over Jimmy for his camera duty...he came late for his ushering. He is suppose to usher and do camera at the same time. which is impossible. Something wrong with the admin. Still, I was kind of disappointed at Jimmy today. Oh wells... it's his choices anyway...
Today, team 2 led God's delight. They did a pretty good job. However, it's not their lesson that caught my main attention during that time. I was more interested in my bu fu qi ness. Haha
So this is what that happened. We had a game. It's Captain's ball but we played it with a rubber duck and players are occasionally called out of the game. I was trying to be laid back...(been doing that for quite awhile...) letting people try out their ideas although I do not agree with it. Well...yeah..that happened. and my team sort of come up with a strategy to throw far. With is sucidal, not because that it is a bad idea...but no one in the team is of that standard. Well...we lost in the end(4-2) and...well I was angry. Haha...yeah. But I caught myself.
I asked myself....woah...hold there dude...it's just a game...you did not have a team of "sports" people anyway, to win is to ask for a miracle. I've been asking myself this question recently...why am I paired up usaully with quiet people or people that don't seemed to be a little bit competitve? You know...it's nice to be in a team where all is hype up and ready to win and can actually win...
BUT HEY! That is off my objective...to win iss ssomething long gone. I should be chasing after such stuff anymore...those times are long gone for me. I should be more interested in people now. And what better way to care then to be with people who will need encouragement to stand up or speak up? I'm forgetting my objectives totally. I'm not here to win ... I'm here to be an encouragement and a pillar to help others to be more confident. I need not all those winnings. So...why so angry and so ...bitter? Yeap...
That's the first issue and learning lesson of the day.
The second lesson...is ...hahaha....a person.
I NEED TO LEARN TO BE NICEEEE.
Cannot talk about it...later get into trouble. LOL
Anyway...I learn that I need to really have more care, love and compassion. It's not about telling them the right thing anymore...It just don't go in. It is not the problem...not the root at least... I believe it to be the manifestation of a bigger problem. And people keep telling me and giving me alot of advices...but seriously...unless you have biblical backings, all you get from me is going to be " I acknowledge your opinions" haha...not that wanna be mean....but seriously...I believe the importance of living according to God words and there's a reason for all things. So if it's just an opinion, it will mean very little to me (haha Science student mah! LOL)
Ok..back to topic...away from unhelpful helpers. But..yeah ...being there is something nice too . I do appreciate...so...thanks! =] Ok...where was I ?
Oh...the need to be a more loving person. Yeap... When I look at myself , I look at this award that I earned during my secondary school life. Something that brought me joy for it had once made me convince that I'm a nice person and therefore can change people's life. It's this "graciousness to accomodate" award...meaning ....a person who can and will accept anyone. Now...it's like a mockery to me. I'm giving by God people who really put me to the limits and showed me how ugly I can really get and seriously....I'm a very nasty person inside.
yeah...lesson 2...I'm not there yet. HAHa =] well...that shall give me a reason to work harder...and...yeah...seriously...God...guard me that I may not end up hating. =] Hate is bad.
Oh! On a brighter note, It's Amandaz birthday today! haha....pretty fun and yeahh.
Happy Birthday! Glad that you have grown so much....Hees...keep growing k? and yeah. Learn to care more for your leaders... they are people that are prone to fail too!
=] And people needing of love and support =]
Hmmm...that's it for today. All vent out le..
And...I realise....there is someone that can make me more nervous than usual. More aware of my actions and failures... Someone that I'm currently super worried about...cos...I fear something might happen...to that person...
Hmm... Haiz...so pressuring....I fear of stumbling people like that...argghhh....God guard that person!!! Bless , protect and keep that person close to you...they are just so rare....
Tommorrow!! JEROME ! YOU ARE MINE!!! HAHAHAHAHA Where's Samuel? My prayer partner?
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Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Mixed Feelings.
My heart is heavy with mixed feelings...
Currently grief is the predominant feeling. Well... it was not like this but before I share I shall talk about the happier moment.
Today was a fun day. Sharon was in the same team as me! Haha...She's mentioned last week that there might be an unfortunate possibility that she ended up in the same team as me when we change our teams this week. I told her that her wish may be granted. Well... it was haha.
However, what shock me today was that Gienah joined my team too. I had expected Brian. I was looking hopefully at him but ...I guess he wanted me to call out to him. However, before I did that, Gienah (Whom I expected to join Grace's team[Cos they are like...erm...close friends?) came over and sat in our team. I was like...wow...this is going to be an interesting development.
Gienah is of course more than welcomed in the team.
Anyway, today's lesson went pretty well. Although I was tired enough to be lost of a while but I managed to pull through alive. I contacted my PEP group. Reminding them that we are sharing the Gospel later. I had good new in the morning that Dion (a really busy member will be able to join us). It was a really great encouragement.Later however, Dion was unable to join as FYP held him back. Thiam Heng was also unable to join us as he has a disciple group meeting. Well... It end up with Tengyu(Thank You for your Faithfulness) who has test and me who have FYP. I have a great temptation of postponing it. I felt like postponing my gospel sharing to thursday with Amos's PEP.
Although God has been telling me and warning me that the evil one is at work real hard against the PEP now, I sent a message... a message to ask Tengyu if he wants to shift the gospel sharing to thursday. I thank God that He intervene...haha...I really can't do much thing right. Well...hearing that shifting to thursday will equate to Tengyu missing out on Gospel sharing because he has fyp, I quickly and painfully decided that we have gospel sharing today and Thiam Heng to join Amos's PEP on Thursday. So I told my FYP mates; Estella and Raymond (Thank You all for being loving and understanding) that I'll be going off to share the Gospel. They gave me their blessings and I left. It's great to have brothers and sisters like Raymond and Estella. They have been a great blessing in my life and a constant encouragement against discouraging Christians.
I set off... heavy at heart. I'm nervous. The last sharing was a failure. I went to the library and printed out the sharing materials. I proceed to meet Tengyu. Well... I decided to go to the PEP meeting place. Something that I normally would not have done...but praise God for that heavy spirit I had that I was burdened to find somewhere that we can have a comfortable time praying.
Tengyu shared his day and boy..they are tough too. Both of us need prayer. Haha...but... Lo andd behold...we met Carmen's PEP! Ian was there! Which was a surprise too. I decided to pull him out from the PEP so that he can go out and share the Gospel with us. I believe he would wanted that too. So after asking Carmen to invite her PEP members to an exciting upcoming event on 3rd november, I asked Ian to joined us. He readily accepted.(Oh...Ian is an answered prayer and a huge blessing in my life also)
We heard that Ian's Grandad who is not yet saved had been admited to the hospital because of cancer. (Brothers and Sisters! PRAY for Salvation! and healing) So we all prayed for each other after a hearty sharing. Then I had a vision of sharing to 4 people. I printed 4 of the sharing materials too! To cut the long story short, Tengyu and I had a great time sharing with 4 year 1 students at a go. It was great ... my sharing skills are ragged now but I pray that God will help the seed grow! In those young people's lives.
Tengyu and I went home encouraged and recharged (we expected to be drained) something to really thank God for. I learn something however, I need to remember the miracles God has done in my life so that I can share them but again God told me in the train that it is not the miracles that persuade people to know the one true God.
I reached home...and yeah..that's where the grief started...and yeap I'm not going to write about it because I don't think it will please God. He has shown enough signs to tell me not to. So....bleahh....too bad!! Hahaahaha....
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Friday, October 10, 2008
One of the Grievious pains in Life
I'm reading an Article send to me through the email while doing my quiet time.
And I saw something that strikes grieve to my heart.
While her grandparents were Taoist, her parents converted to Christianity after her mother recovered from an
illness.
But I got very, very disturbed in my teenage years, because my grandmother is Taoist and the Christian
priest said my grandmother was not going to heaven,' she recounts.
So the young Phyllis searched for answers. In university, she joined the Buddhist society, the Baha'i society and even checked out the Tamil society to understand more about Hinduism.
In the end, she became a Baha'i as 'it was unequivocal in accepting that all religions worship the same god and so my perennial question - what will happen to my beloved grandmother - was solved.'
My question is ... in what way is that solved?
How is that solving the situation? Finding something more comfortable to believe in is not going to change your life or the fact of what thing is already is. When you are sick with flu, you don't go an believe some tom, dick or harry that magical stones will cure you. You look for a DOCTOR! Yeah! A doctor's fees may be more expensive. You may need to take horrible tasting medicines. But Truth is Truth. And all things beside or away from truth, even by the slightest bit is falsehood. Is that so difficult to understand? What logic is there? When you decide to believe a man's words that there is a simple cure? Just buy the stones at a cheap price. Put it somewhere in your house and you will be cured.
I really feel sad when I see people doing things like that. Just believe in something nice to hear.
This is a study done on students of Singapore.
It was not the only disturbing finding from her study, which involved 2,801 students aged 12 to 18 from six secondary schools. Its aim: To find out the nature of religious switching by adolescents, and how much they know about religions.
While 76 per cent said they were 'tolerant' of other religions, their idea of tolerance was 'not talking about it'.
And while a whopping 92 per cent expressed desire to find out more about other religions, the majority said they would do so from the Internet.
At the same time, Dr Chew found that they switched religions through an emotional process. 'They will usually say things like, 'I've a good feeling (about this religion)' or 'My friends influenced me'.
'So it's not a very rational decision, like what are the pros, what are the cons. It's not very cognitive. The switching process is usually an emotional one.'
The situation is grave. People are rushing to their graves. They are simply not using their cognitive skills...or in short brains. Dr Chew concluded...oh by the way she isn't a Christian and this is taken from the Straits Time.
This all reminds me of what Jesus mentioned ....
3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
2 Timothy 4: 3-4
The second part of this verse mentioned
5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
The first part
2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction
Now we can see why there is an important need to share and tell the truth. Because we are at an age whereby...people will believe in anything...aliens, healing stones, etc...anything to make themselves feel secure and the Christians are sitting/ sleeping and not doing anything to tell their friends about the truth which they know ....all because they are afraid that people will view them differently or laugh at them or lose friends. Great friends huh? Even I am guilty of that.
And i believe therefore the verse ends with...
6For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.
7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
It's a fight...a race...it's going to be tiring...it's going to cost us a lot...and out lives. But we persevere because....of God's promise of a reward in the end.
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War Unprepared.
Hey! Long time no Blogged. Haha.
OK! I'll share about something I heard in my discipleship group.
There is this guy...oh by the way he just died and my DG leader is invited for his memorial.
Anyway, this guy is some big spiritual giant but everything did not actually started that way. He in fact never took the bible seriously. Till as day, went he attend a christian fellowship. They had this Ice Breaker. Where everybody have to recite a verse. So naturally he panicked. He only know John 3:16.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Well things took a worse turn when someone before him recited John 3:16. He's reputation is at stake. He's some pastor's son and a youth leader. So there are some expectations from him and not forgetting that there are forfeits in a game. Fortunately or by God's grace, he managed to come up with one when it is his turn.
Wanna guess what verse is that?
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
Haha...the group broke to laughter but that is still a verse so he is saved.
But it made him think. He was unprepared. Unprepared without God's Words.
The next day, he went on to work. It was the time of the first world war. The day was the day the japan bombard pearl harbor. The Americans were subjected to 31 minutes of bombing. They were sitting ducks. Unable to retaliate. The reason, they were unprepared. Their planes, were well lined...so well that the Japanese can easily and neatly bombed all away without much effort. If the American could have got to their planes, they would have turned the tides as they had better machines.
But they were unprepared.
This guy, he is suppose to man the anti air gun. However, he cannot carry out his duty...because there aren't any live round. He have the gun but have not the bullets. So his team was panicking and he ran in the midst of the bombing to look for the live rounds. When he finally found it, the ware house door was jammed due to lack of use.
So there was 31 minutes of uninterrupted Japanese bombing on Pearl Harbor that day.
At the end, he sat beside the anti air gun, With a bible in his hand. His' friends, some injured, some dead. The damage is huge. Because of unpreparedness,his battalion is almost wiped out.
that day, he made a vow to never be unprepared. Not only in the worldly warfare but in the spiritual warfare. He saw the link between his lack of bible knowledge and his unpreparedness. He saw the fatality. He saw the possibility of that in his spiritual life.
And we know the evil one prowls around like as roaring lion, waiting to devour. If we are not prepared with God's words. When the enemy strikes, ouch.
So Christians, read your bible.
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