camp soon...

It's gonna be camp soon...
and my soul is continually restless...
not in the bad sense...but in the expectant sense!

I've struggled to nail down my prayer philosophy...but this is quite near it! =)

"It is not enough to begin to pray, nor to pray aright;
nor is it enough to continue for a time to pray;
but we must patiently, believingly, continue in prayer until we obtain an answer;
and further we have not only to continue in prayer unto the end,
but we have also to believe that God does hear us,
and will answer our prayers.
Most frequently we fail in not continuing in prayer until the blessing is obtained,
and in not expecting the blessing."
George Müller

"Quit playing, start praying.
Quit feasting, start fasting.
Talk less with men, talk more with God.
Listen less to men, listen to the words of God.
Skip travel, start travail."
Leonard Ravenhill

And i love this too...

"Great grief prays with great earnestness.
Prayer is not a collection of balanced phrases;
it is the pouring out of the soul.
What is love if it be not fiery?
What are prayers if the heart be not ablaze?
They are the battles of the soul.
In them men wrestle with principalities and powers...
"The prayer that prevails is not the work of lips and fingertips.
It is the cry of a broken heart and the travail of a stricken soul."
Samuel Chadwick

I hope we are a praying people...
and one that delights in knowing God intimately

Don't give up my friend...

The words that struck me hard...
were words that i did not expect to hear...

"Those from perfect families, will never understand..."

The simplicity of those words...
also revealed a depth of emotion hidden...
a pain that is covered over...
yet one that is real...

I have a message my young friend...
One that i've considered a few days,
but i think that it is right to write this to you...
and to all who are hurting...

You are not alone,
and there is a Father to the fatherless,
someone who loves you deeply
& will never leave you nor forsake you.

But first, let me expose the lie...
Any deception first thrives because it hides in the darkness,
when light enters the situation,
illumination chases away those shadowy fears

There is no such thing as a "perfect family"
all are flawed, some in obvious, fractured ways,
others in hidden insecurities...
Even the best, are not perfect...

Sometimes, the hurt we know & feel...
is easier to deal with...
then the aching gnaw of something wrong
yet not being able to handle or find the problem

You spoke with the right person...
I'm hardly perfect but the situation we have mirrors each other
I struggled through a childhood like yours...
but I'd say, you are truly doing better than me =)

I turned my energies destructively,
you're turning yours constructively...
when i faltered and needed help...i had none,
you have help where you are even before you fall...
God is good eh? =)

What i want to tell you is this...
Don't believe the lies of the evil one...
People who understand you, are around you,
if you dare to reveal yourself to them too

People who have not been in your situation,
can still emphatise with you...
Others like me, who have gone thru it before...
we can be helpful even if you do not think that might be so...

I want to plead one thing with you...
Don't allow the situation to scar you, or damage your soul,
We've been thrown in situations beyond our control,
yet...we have choices still in such situations...

I've shown you the bad choices that i've made,
and also the good ones that i'm able to identify...
Choose to honour God & just watch...
watch because you WILL see His Love for you

It's not the trial that makes us stronger,
but Who we turn to in that trial...
I'm praying for you...that you'll know God intimately...
that He will shape you beautifully...
And that in His hands, you'd know what a beautiful future you have.

I think that you are an awesome person,
for being able to make lemons out of lemonade,
for being strong yet acknowledging that you're weak...
for surrendering, yet hoping...you are on the right track...
and i want to tell you that i'm proud of you...=)
really...i am...

God Bless you!

"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us."
Ephesians 3:20,21 (The Message)

We fall down...

I prepared for a worship devotional last week,
and in doing so...was reading about what worship is,
what it isn't & how freely we give of what we have...
even if we do not understand it...

This week, the theme continues for me...
Worship always has an object...
and it can be an idol or it can be God.
Simple as that...no?

Well...what complicates this, is that we have human nature also!
We trust what we see, that's why there are idols...
Stars, pop groups, cash, looks...they primarily appeal to our eyes...
yet...we worship a God who is heard, and not seen!

We must admit that we are allured by the visual,
just as Eve was drawn to the forbidden fruit...
We even like to say..."seeing is believing" when...
the essence of Faith, demands A CONVICTION of things unseen (Heb 11:1)

If we are honest, we see that the media favours a particular kind of content,
it is visually stimulating (the best looking, sexiest dressing, most outlandish etc)
Acts of physical daring, hints or sometimes overtly sexual scenes,
they highlight the visual, so that we get pulled into belief...

One of the descriptives of God is...the WORD...
The word can be spoken, and it can be heard...
But, are we looking for the Word to be shown?
If that happens, who is God? Him or us?

Neil Postman wrote a book "Amusing ourselves to Death"
In it, it seems like we have made idols of anything that delights us,
and he makes this damning statement...let we paraphrase it...
We are a people on the verge of amusing ourselves to Death with the visual.

And you know what...he has pointed out a truth...
When Moses went up the mountain to receive the 10 commandments,
he received the shock of his life...because...
upon returning, there was a golden calf being worshipped by God's people!

The people had in the absence of Moses...upon not seeing him or God,
had built something with their own hands and worshipped it!

That there is the danger...and to succintly put it...

The visual has displaced the verbal...
Once we see, we no longer hear

Are we a people who are hearing God?
What are you worshipping truly?

You are MORE!

WOW! ok...this song speaks so much more than i can...
wish i could've let this just speak in the devo earlier...
this is tons better than anything i said...
The song is GREAT!!



Catch the words and heart behind it, and it dives so much deeper!!

YOU ARE MORE
There's a girl in the corner
With tear stains on her eyes
From the places she's wandered
And the shame she can't hide

She says, "How did I get here?
I'm not who I once was.
And I'm crippled by the fear
That I've fallen too far to love"

But don't you know who you are,
What's been done for you?
Yeah don't you know who you are?

You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

Well she tries to believe it
That she's been given new life
But she can't shake the feeling
That it's not true tonight

She knows all the answers
And she's rehearsed all the lines
And so she'll try to do better
But then she's too weak to try

But don't you know who you are?

You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

'Cause this is not about what you've done,
But what's been done for you.
This is not about where you've been,
But where your brokenness brings you to

This is not about what you feel,
But what He felt to forgive you,
And what He felt to make you loved.

You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

You've been remade
You've been remade.
You've been remade.
You've been remade.

=)

Great stuff...

This is such an awesome prayer...
Saw it as i was studying! =)

We pray for our friends,
that they find the Jesus Christ who is...

More than a Messenger...
He is Messiah

More than a servant...
He is Saviour

More than the Word of God...
He is God

More than virgin born...
He was Crucified, Buried & Resurrected

More than assumed at Death...
He conquered death and Ascended on High

More than a prophet,
He is Prophet, Priest and King!

Excited!

Somehow...Monday is exciting for me...
It's packed chock full from morning to evening,
yet i feel a sense of immense Joy bubbling forth!

Gonna be taking my guys out to talk to people on campus,
to provide some Joy & relief as they mug hard for their exams.

And then...in the late afternoon/evening,
i have that encounter that i've been praying for and asking for so long!
It's gonna be a challenging time, yet...i'm excited!
Because i feel that God has crafted this and this is really divine!
jumping back into my notes & books, studying up & preparing,
it feels so much like mugging once again, but this time...
it's...different...very very different...

Because I have a great passion for it,
because I have a desire to see God's glory...
cuz this feels so so divine,
and because, though i feel the spiritual battle is strong,
yet, i have a sense that i'm fighting with the Lord of Hosts on my side,
and that...that really thrills me & excites my heart!

It's one thing to battle...
a totally different thing to work from God's position of Love & victory!
and yes, this season, it feels like God is extremely REAL!
I'm really really loving it! even the hard graft of studying!
haha! =)

Reasoned persuasion will only get me so far,
the heart is an unfathomable mystery known only to God,
that's why i'm glad the Holy Spirit is the One that convicts,
changes, transforms and moulds a person and situation!
I'm gonna prepare and mug as much as i can,
but yes, please please pray pray pray for this encounter!
May God speak and move His ways in this encounter also!

The Joy of the Lord will truly be our strength!

Nemo?

Haha! Sometimes my deep thoughts scare not only myself...but others!

Mmmm...i use blogging/writing as a form of expression and to allow my thoughts to run and flow, because i've realised that i think best when i'm able to articulate it via speaking or writing...so yes...some deep thoughts are definitely emo, and filled with expressing stuff passionately.

That's the way i write & express best, and yes, it may seem scary, but i need to get the rawness out before i reach the gems of well-formed thought. I've learnt a long time ago to be comfortable with it, and yes, it gets unsettling, but the process of pressing into a thought and forming it coherently really really helps me to solidify my thoughts, and move them into practical action and solid principles.

My recent thoughts have been about Truth, integrity & the expression of it.
How it is easily compromised, whether it is intentional or not.
In the name of fun, in the name of being well-liked, because it seems right...and all other myriad reasons.

I think that being able to hang on to a thought, to follow through on it for an extended period really helps me...because then i can follow the thought to each of it's individual branches, and see how it all develops, and how as it grows, what the fruit will look like...to me, this has always been a natural byproduct of thinking things through. And one that is invaluable.

And to carry through this analogy...
I see that in making little compromises for one another, for the sake of lesser reasons than for the Glory of God, we begin to erode our own foundations of love, of truth, of integrity.

I see that to be able to bear the fruit of Love, of Truth, we need to have an integrity that is uncompromised, a character that is shaped by living out truth, a life that is real because of the mistakes learnt from ramming into truth headlong.

I realised also...along the way, why i feel so passionately, why this is something that can move me to tears. I've been a victim of untruth, of lies, of backstabbing and 2-faced individuals, from my father to the closest people that i've known. All have in some sense been actors more than daring to being real with their struggles. I acknowledge the sin nature & how we will constantly let others down, so forgiving, overlooking and surrendering have been 3 words i've learnt well.

Yet, i believe that JUST because we know there is a sin nature, doesn't mean we have to cater to it. I want to be better, to improve now, to learn to be wholesome, full, victorious, a person to be trusted, i want my Yes to be Yes, and my No to be No. No need to second guess.

And maybe, that's why compromise...a willingness to give up God's best for a substitute rubs me the wrong way. I believe God has a standard, He doesn't demand perfection but I think He wants to see growth. I believe that if God put good talents, and if He blessed us as unsaved sinful people, then...when we turn to Him, our gifts & talents ought to be greatly sanctified and used more for His glory. Not to do so would mean that our lives have not been transformed, and we have a form of godliness but are denying it's power.

I believe that the Gospel is one that changes lives, because of Jesus, the One.
And that daily life with it's trials, Joys, pains, delights, these are the instruments of Grace that God uses to mould us & grow us. Each time we face them, our response shows our belief...is God good? Do we take Him at His word? Are we a Living testimony, salt & light? Or is our candle sputtering, smoldering, and almost dying out?

God in His divine time, puts divine promptings upon the hearts of His person...
Noah to build an ark, inland, far from water...
Moses to lead the people out of Egypt against all odds
Joshua to enter the promised land amidst the giants
David to fight Goliath, then to lead the nation...
Nehemiah to rebuild the wall & lead the people...
All were gargantuan tasks...impossible in man's eyes...
but...stirred by a prompting...and a Faith in God that triumphed over fear...
they overcame...

I believe that God has put certain promptings in my heart too...
ones that delight in truth, and gets offended by compromise...
ones that demand God's Glory above all else...
A focus that puts God above how people may feel about me...
Yes, when the burdens get hard & heavy...i struggle...
but i'm comforted that God allows us to struggle...
Like King David in his Psalms,
Jeremiah in Lamentations,
Solomon in Ecclesiastes...
Because THROUGH the struggle we know Him better...
And yes, i wanna "...know Christ, and the power of His resurrection and
the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings" (Phil 3:10)
They come together, and there is no need to try to escape one for the other.

So yes, some fight in gang fights, & establish violence as their means,
I fight with equal violence on my knees,
praying hard for transformed hearts, malleable lives,
people who hear God's promptings & heed (not ignore) them.
The fight for hearts and minds is real,
one that is always seen as an uphill task...
but no...some victories are won inch by inch,
and if this is a battle worth fighting,
then it is time to keep battling...

Intercession is the first point of engaging in battle,
the second is moving truth into practical application...
i see that clearly, so yes God, i hear it well and will be faithful in that.

Maybe then...there may come steps 3 & 4...

Classic

Wow...blown away by some memories

just wanted to share abit of "d:elirious",
the band that i grew up with...=)



This was them as i grew up, simple, no-frills...pure-hearted, open armed worship...
Something that touched me deeply was Martin Smith & how he would explain his songs, the songwriting, the way that God just gave him simple songs but those that spoke so deeply not just to him but to me also...

I've never forgotten that pure-hearted simplicity, and i've wondered...through the years, would that change? As a Christian artiste on the road, what will change and what wouldn't?

Watching them through the years, the music has changed some, become more technical & complex (yet still simple...somehow), the hairstyles, lighting & gadgets they have, they've all upped a notch, and grown in that...yet...i still detect some deep sense of simplicity...depth of relationship, and a Love that has not waned...=)

here is them in their farewell concert...singing one of my all time favourite songs...
Love the bit where his daughter comes and is propped up on his back,
showing her abit of what he's been doing the past years...
letting her experience it too, and there is Joy...
Joy in singing, sharing the experience...
there is a dimension of Love there, a deep one...
one that knows Majesty, and...simplicity...



it's been what? 20 years?
Good show d:elirious, great show...
I'll never forget, and the journey has been a great one.
Thank you, and praise God for you! =)

Yours

the root of it...

I'm not very articulate today...but i need to get this out...

When something bothers me greatly,
I find the need to persevere, push on, until an answer appears.

It is a process of change, of discovery, & of knowing myself & God better...always

If i were to find a root cause in all of this...
this would be it...

"Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching."
C.S. Lewis

When trust is undermined,
truth is undercut...
"fact" is not examined
nothing is considered important or reverent...
then what are we standing for?

Just because everyone does it...doesn't make it right...
What happened to personal integrity,
self-control, Love, honour...

When we've lost the above...we're subject to abuse...
victims of other people's whims, fancy & fun...
why would you let others abuse you?
Who deals with the fallout? Who has to handle things?
not the perpetrator...but the victim...

W've done ourselves a dis-service when we think the greatest values now are...
laughter, fun, entertainment...
anything that makes us feel good, causes a laugh
& doesn't lead to some uncomfortable confrontations...

But the thing is...
what seemed funny for a moment will have reprecussions...
Reputations are affected,
names & labels will be attached...
having to explain & clarify to people isn't "fun" anymore...
In the end, the cost is high...

have we become such a short-term people,
that we've completely missed the main point?

All it takes is a pinch of yeast to make the dough rise
Sin is that way...
When sin is left as it is...unrevealed...
it will grow...
compromise & complacency will crowd out Love.

Knowing a person & believing the best in them is great...
But it doesn't mean defending wrongdoing...
When right or wrong is an issue,
it should be dealt with...

People are important, & the way we love them reflects our Love...
Loved us, so He gave us free will...
everyone knows that well and claims that!
But they forgot something else too...
He gave us the bible to know His ways,
& the Holy Spirit to lead, guide
& to prompt us with His still small voice

"The instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man's self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred"
C.S. Lewis

Freedom is ours to exercise,
but we are not supposed to exercise it in a vacuum.
That's where we go wrong many a times.

"There is a kind of happiness and wonder that makes you serious. It is too good to waste on jokes."
C.S. Lewis

Moments like yesterday & today make me wonder if what i do is worth it...
If a speaker of truth has to confront (care-front) to bring truth to light...
you'd think...there'd be more than...well...more than what i'm feeling now...
But there isn't...the feeling of dispair...of...disappointment...weighs heavily

When our job is done well...there is no applause, no pats on the back...
frequently...no thanks even...

& in those moments when things don't go well?
Well...who can fathom what goes through man's thoughts...

No wonder...
Jeremiah, prophet, writer of Jeremiah & Lamentations
Loved deeply, urged the people not to turn their backs on God...

he's most known now as the "weeping prophet"

...the anguish of Love

Elijah, man of God, challenger of Baal...
Slaughtered the prophets of Baal, then ran from Jezebel...
his cry in the desert...one of asking for death as a prize...

...the despair of Love

Jesus, God Himself, Holy, Perfect...did miracles
Did no evil, challenged wrong, endured riducule, mocking...
At Gethsamane..."If you are willing, take this cup from me"

...the sacrifice of Love

I wonder how God can take it...

spent...

I cried today...the longest and the hardest i've had in a long long time...

But i think it's good for my soul...
it's been a long time since i've felt so
...tender, yet aggrieved,
so angry...yet so...sad too...

"Home"

I'm staring out into the night,
Trying to hide the pain.
I'm going to the place where love
And feeling good don't ever cost a thing.
And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain.

Well I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old,
So I'm going home.
Well I'm going home.

The miles are getting longer, it seems,
The closer I get to you.
I've not always been the best man or friend for you.
But your love remains true.
And I don't know why.
You always seem to give me another try.

So I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old,

Be careful what you wish for,
'Cause you just might get it all.
You just might get it all,
And then some you don't want.
Be careful what you wish for,
'Cause you just might get it all.
You just might get it all, yeah.

Oh, well I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old.
I said these places and these faces are getting old,
So I'm going home.
I'm going home.

In a sense, i feel so stupid to be feeling things that others do not & will not...
yet...in my gut, and as i examine it...i think that it's so important, too important not to say a thing...yet...after saying it, i sense that i've done nothing but killed a friendship...='(

How can we develop a sense of right & wrong if we do not dare to call things as they are.
To compromise & to make allowance cheapens the grace of God.
It spits in God's hand, and in His open arms...

"Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."
1 Cor 15:33 (NASB)

Good is good & bad is bad...
& if we are honest with ourselves...
Our bad nature reigns more than we wanna admit...
but we always gloss it over & make it seem alright. Why?

I'm tired of compromise...
of making laughter, when it's forced...
Of playing with God instead of taking Him seriously
these places and these faces are getting old

I'll not sit by & say nothing, do nothing...
I've made my stand, drawn that line in the sand...
Maybe it means losing what i consider valuable & lovely...
I don't regret this life I chose for me.

My heart hurts, it really really tears me up...a different kind of pain

Be careful what you wish for,
'Cause you just might get it all.
You just might get it all,
And then some you don't want.

And i DO NOT wish this for you dear one...='(

"Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained."

"I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God- it changes me."
C.S.Lewis

yet...Your Love has always been enough for me...
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
& today...i really... I'm going home

"If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world."

"Crying is all right in its own way while it lasts. But you have to stop sooner or later, and then you still have to decide what to do."
C.S.Lewis

The shift...

Wow...moving really brings out the worst in me...

I think i get cranky easier, the change of environment is stressful,
the thought of journeying 1.5hrs each way to NTU kills me,
and then when little things like rain or ash paper come,
i just get all worked up for nothing all over again!

Sunday was the BIG move, everything over...
I took the morning to settle my heart in church,
then it was work work work all the way...
Moving over, unpacking, driving back west for dinner & clean up,
then more packing & cleaning, drive North-east...
move, unpack, clean...

By the time i finally sat down...
i realised i'd been on my feet an awful long time...
worked til 1am...
then finally get cleaned up and decided i needed time with God

to settle down, to unwind, to just listen...
and in the midst of it...God just hit me with His Love,
nothing else describes it...so i'll just let this speak... =)

Yeah...
You SOOOO took my breath away God! =D
LOVE YOU!

A sunday like the past...

"Now God designed the human...
to run on Himself...

God cannot give us a happiness & peace apart from Himself,
because it is not there.
There is no such thing."

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Didn't manage to go to church today, amidst the hustle & bustle of moving.
I really dislike uprooting myself & having to plant somewhere else.
It feels so unsettling & the transition stress gets to everyone...
I wish my mum would be less cranky & forceful...
it's not helping anyone, the way she pushes to get her way in all things.

However, i'm reminded in the midst of all this, that God is here,
present, available, loving, and giving Grace & showing His Mercy in all things.

Despite the one major hiccup, everything else was done more than satisfactorily!

I like the quote above, God made us to run on Himself...=)
I think in the moments where i can't go to church (like today),
i'm reminded of the privilege it is to worship together,
& how corporate worship in our day is frequently taken for granted...

But i remember a time when i wasn't allowed to go to church,
when i had to sneak off just to attend, and come home ready to face the music,
those were bittersweet days, i treasured the deep intimacy opposition brings,
and then when the bitter moments hit when i got home,
it was always a practical test of this new Love that I found in Christ
Those humbling days tested yet taught me the most i've ever learnt.

Seeing people in other nations with no freedom to corporate worship,
those have also been humbling times...

imagine looking over your shoulder, knowing secret police are around,
having to talk in harsh whispers, and sing in muted tones...
no wonder when given the chance to worship in a fellowship,
they burst out with such gusto & tears running down their cheeks...

I think privilege is a great honour & a blessing,
but i also think that any privilege shown or given to us,
can never solely be for our benefit only...
I think God's heart is bigger...and it's meant to bless more than just me

I've just had a rather weird experience of this...
Liting, who has cancer, has been calling it a privilege...
& by the facebook notes she writes & shares to others freely...
she is really living it out and showing the world what it means to be blessed
I would struggle to call it a privilege, but she does & she lives it out well!
My privilege has been that she's my friend, my courageous friend,
I'm glad to know someone who exemplifies Christ like that.

"Our task is to be faithful to the calling of the cross:
to live in God's new world as the agents of His love,
and to pray that the cross we carry today
will become part of the healing & reconciliation of the world"
~N.T. Wright~

I realised that i almost never say..."I'll try, i'll work harder on it etc"
I just tell people..."I'm learning..."
It kinda fits in more with my ethos, that i need to keep learning,
be humble, acknowledge my mistakes & shortcomings,
& work at it so i learn to be a better man cuz of them.

so today...
I'm learning...that when tests, trials & temptations come,
they are opportunities to advance in faith, hope & Love,
I must do everything i can to stand firm (Eph 6:13),
& press on toward the goal of the upward call of God (Phil 3:14).

We learn by doing...& become what we do

"Superficiality is the curse of our age.
The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem.
The desperate need today is not for a great number of intelligent,
or gifted people, but for deep people"
Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline

And maybe...being deep, sometimes just means seeing as God does...that ALL our work is important to Him, because He Love us to our every little bits...=)

"The devil has so blinded men that he has persuaded them to believe that in little things they do not have to worry where God is honoured or served: and this is accomplished on the pretext that such things are of the world. When a man works in his labour to earn a living, when a woman does her housework, and when a servant does his duty, one thinks that God does not pay attention to such things, and one says that they are secular affairs.

Yes, it is true that such work is proper to this present & fleeting life; however, that does not mean we must separate it from the service of God"
John Calvin

We are biblical people, so we ought to live biblically...
In Ezra 7:10, he lays it out so simply...We ought to "...study the law of the Lord, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes & ordinances to Israel"

Study, Practice, Teach
Ok...i'm learning to do that more...

& haha! i just saw this, so i shall add this in as a reminder...

There are 3 marks of a great person:
One who is a great thinker
One who is a great lover
One who is a great doer

yeah...hopefully i'll grow in all 3 areas well! =)

"Only he who believes is obedient,
and only he who is obedient believes"

~Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship~

true

I like my devotional lots...because of the truth it brings to light...
So...let me reproduce the whole chunk of it here...

You finally did it!
After months of dreaming & preparation & effort;
you finally finished the gift you believe to be the lifelong dream for someone you love.
What a joy it was to create!
Sure it took lots of effort.
Sure it required your heart-and-soul passion.
But your efforts reveal your deep love,
and you hope your loved one will see your heart in the gift.

Never once do you consider how you would feel if the receiver took your gift and walked away, ignoring you while showering kisses all over the object of your efforts

Unfortunately, that happens often.
We do it to others, and it happens to us.

Unfortunately, that's the response God gets from most of humankind.
What must He think when He sees people loving His miracles more than Him?
To add insult to injury, He knew even before He created the world,
that we as a creation would be more inclined to worship His gifts, than Him,
yet He lavishes us with signs of His love anyway.

Why do we do this to Him?
The reasons are endless & shameful.
We are arrogant & proud, ungrateful & lazy,
and we love to take, take, take when we know
someone is willing to give, give, give.

How much better when that someone is God Himself,
who has more riches that we can fathom & loves to shower them on us.
What a deal for us!

However.

God knows a key truth that is a secret to those whose hearts are still blinded in "take mode":
We miss out on His very best gift...
A close relationship with Him
when we have our eyes plied to the next greatest miracle cure for our every want.

The people in Lystra missed seeing God because they were so awed by His miracle.
The true miracle is God's love for us;
His actions on our behalf only serve to point us to Him.
Don't favour the evidence of His love, over the Lover Himself.

"Lord God, I'm awed by your Love, because it reveals your greatness. I worship You only, and I thank you for the gifts that show who You are!"

"To love a gift, love the giver"
Anonymous

In line with what i've been learning recently...
when we learn to put first things first...
When we learn to Love God well & Love Him fully,
that enables us to Love the gifts that He gives...
We love rightly because those are secondary, yet we can love them fully too.
There is a divine order to our loves & passions too!

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened."

Romans 1:20,21

Invisible, yet known...that's God right there.

"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen."

1 Tim 1:17

And we sometimes wonder why He remains unseen...
I think...it's not that He is unseen...
just that we refuse to see Him in ALL that we have...
We're blessed, but miss it...

Yeah! =)

I love the organisation i'm with, because we have such a clear sense of calling!

Even in the midst of tragedy, just like the Trapped Chilean Miners that were just freed, somehow we still managed to find our way there & bless them!

I'm proud to be part of a group that Loves people like Jesus does, and finds all ways to reach them even if they are literally stuck in the depths of the earth!

Those shirts that EVERY one of the miners wore when they emerged?
They all bore the name of Jesus! & I hope the Word entered their hearts too!

If you can't see what is written on the shirt,
it says "Gracias Senor, Thank you Lord!"
& there is a verse on the back!

For the full story...read...

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/14/the-story-behind-the-chilean-miners-jesus-t-shirts/

unwelcome news...

This post wasn't supposed to be about this...
then...i got the unwelcome news from mum...
& it seems like my world just got thrown upside down...

And so...
the day has come...

11th Oct - Family gets key to Hougang

Mum demands we pack up & go...in 3 days...
So...come thursday...is our first move...isn't that MAD?

& she expects us to finish by next week...
be totally moved...

How do i work & pack everything in 3 days?
Does she expect me to drop everything just like that?

this is madness, & it really causes me so much stress...
my daily commute to & fro is gonna be 3hrs...
i'm geographically far away from most of my friends,
& the travel to church is again...a ghastly distance...

sigh sigh sigh sigh sigh sigh...

I dun wanna complain...but i can't take it...='(

Why move so quickly?
Didn't i just move back home in January?
Why move in the MIDDLE of my peak season?
And how do we pack without any boxes?

I suddenly remm all the frustrations I've felt with my family,
& now this frustration is threatening to make me boil over!

wwwwwhhhhyyyyyyyyyyyy...

I just wanna...

UUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!

What is First?

"One of the most salient features of our culture
is that there is so much bullshit"

~Harry Frankfurt~

Before you think I'm in a funk,
& angry with the world...
please realise that this is quite biblical!

In Philippians 3:8 it says...
"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"

That word "rubbish" in bold,
is skubala in Greek.
& is politely translated as "refuse", "dung" or "rubbish"
But in fact, it is EVEN more offensive!
It refers to nastiness & decay,
it is a coarse, ugly, violent word implying
worthlessness, uselessness & repulsiveness!

In a culture where people are talking about...
things they know nothing about...
where skepticism flourishes,
& the possiblity to know objective truth is denied.

Where the tendency is to accept something as true,
not because it is rational,
but rather because it feels good
& fits with or confirms our prejudices.

"It is this lack of connection to a concern for the truth,
this indifference to how things really are,
that I regard as the essence of of bullshit"
~Harry Frankfurt~

I feel that we live in a culture of false seductions,
where what is virtuous, right, pure & true...
is replaced by the profane, wrong, filthy & false...

Our view & the value of Love then changes & melds with the times...
it becomes conditional, situational, momentary, unfaithful...
we strip from the very word...the intense meaning within,
& we leave a shell of empty sensations...a void...
one that we try to fill with what we can find...
be they people, pleasures, thoughts or desires.

"Look what a mess we've made of love."
Switchfoot, "Ammunition"

No wonder, eventhough Christ came to die for us,
we fail to recognise such divine love,
& we fight tooth & nail to reject what is contrary to our senses,
we CANNOT believe that someone, GOD, would do this for us...
that He would give His greatest & best, for such as us...
But...it's precisely because it is counter to our nature...
that proves that it IS God!

And when we do...
God can begin to transform us,
from within...with His Love

"The life of Saint Augustine has special appeal
because he was a great sinner
who became a great saint"
~R.S.Pine-Coffin~
Introduction to Confessions



*Love the violin intro! & the cresendo
this song never fails to send tingles through me*

YET...for me,
There is One can bring a Joy deeper than this...

C.S.Lewis puts it this way...
"You can't get 2nd things by putting them 1st;
you can only get 2nd things only by
putting 1st things 1st."

(*I broke some literary rules above when i put numbers in there,
instead of spelling it out but they serve to illustrate this point much better!)

What is your heart captivated by, friend?
What is FIRST in your life?
I fancy that not many people read this blog anymore...
but yeah...this is as much a reflection as it is a challenge!

I've decided to put God first all the time,
& sometimes that means I surrender my desires,
sometimes other things take God's place...
& I have to painfully give them up...

Sometimes I forget Who is first,
then I ignore when He prompts me,
the restoration process gets rocky,
but the supreme Joy of seeing Him back as First...
is always...ALWAYS...worth it!

It is a journey,
a process, but it is worth it...

When was the last time you told God you Loved Him?
When was the last time His Love overwhelmed you?
When did you last experience His Grace, Mercy & Forgiveness?
When was the last time you bowed your knees in awe of Your King,
the Lamb who came to be your Living Sacrifice.
I feel deeply & I felt it again today...so unexpectedly...
but fully surrendering to it all...felt...wonderful =D



First things First always...

Then Second can have its place...
We have to love things in the right order
& in the right magnitude

how can it be...

"For my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
to hew for themselves, cisterns,
broken cisterns that can hold no water"

Jeremiah 2:13

The commentary of a life lived imperfectly,
a homily of brokeness, drawing from rancid waters
Somehow, life at it's wane feels just like that...

Happiness & despair...emotions that come unbidden,
one to be welcomed, the other to be disdained...
Somehow, we "feel" in our being that one is more right than the other
We run from one, into the arms of the other...
But...what if we have gotten it wrong?

Happiness while easily welcomed & sensational in feeling,
can help to dull the senses & turn what is good...
into what is selfish...self-seeking, inward looking...

Despair or pain, or struggle, while unwelcome...
help us to identify with those who are struggling,
those who are presently not coping well...
it can help us foster compassion & genuine Love...
A Love that moves into action, not just words...

I think that God placed Happiness & Despair as emotions,
not for good or bad as we think it...
but for us to be sharpened in our Love,
no matter the circumstance.
And when we learn that...we get a glimpse of God

There is a surprising nugget of wisdom in this quote by Bob Dylan...

"You know...these are yuppie words,
happiness or unhappiness.

It is not happiness or unhappiness,
it's either blessed or unblessed."

Perhaps we have been misled, and we totally miss it...
How blessed we are to be able to feel...
how blessed we are to be able to enjoy happiness,
how blessed we are to be able to share someone's despair,
how blessed we are when our Love compels us to honour God more,
to respond to Him in deep gratitude, to Love Him more.

But so many times we do exactly the opposite...

"For my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
to hew for themselves, cisterns,
broken cisterns that can hold no water"

Jeremiah 2:13

We forsake the Giver of every good gift,
we forget about Who He is, what He has given
the Sacrifice that He gave...

they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,

and we worship the sensations, the gifts, the talents,
We crave, covet & desire something, someone more...

to hew for themselves, cisterns,

Our hearts have grown cold, and closed to His voice...

broken cisterns that can hold no water

And we never realise where we fall...

"How can it be...
That You were the One...
on the Cross?
Lifted for all OUR shame...

How can it be?
The scars in Your hand...
are for ME?"
:"(

You are the King of all...
& i forgot to tell you today...

But i will now...

I love You Lord
More than Life,
More than happiness,
More than despair...
I'm blessed...
because YOU Love me...

"Such is each one as is his love"
St. Augustine

unwelcome

din feel too good,
tried to sleep early...

just woke with an unpleasant fright...
found myself in a cold sweat...

saw it was my phone...
unwelcome news...

dunno if i can go back to sleep...
praying for you & your family...

Fickle Feckle...

In life, there are too many people who drop words that mean well,
that are actually just tickling our hearts...causing a flutter...
but they make little ACTUAL difference

Empty promises, nonexistent actions, wispy words...
I think we're supremely fickle that way...

In fact, today is probably the perfect analogy...
i woke smelling this burnt smell that wouldn't go away,
& looking out the window...it was a haze that made everything dreary,
I think loose empty words feel so much like that to me...

Maybe that's why my supreme comfidence comes in another form,
another conversation, one that is real & marked by promises.

I've always wondered why to some, prayer is just an afterthought...
whereas to me...it's like my life-blood...
I flounder, grow weary & restless easily without centering,
get distracted, think weakly, reason poorly, without that...

Yet...i get refreshed, energized, catching a new perspective...
each time i center down...
Talking to God on behalf of others is also very fulfilling...
It seems to me to be the more "practical" help in some sense,
because in so many situations, i'm really...just utterly powerless

Saw this on the Resurgence...
And i resonate with it...
I think our lives are weaker, less passionate,
When apart from God.

Our inner life is always frail...
We should always take steps to Him,
Not just in our moments of weakness
but especially in the "mundane" of life...
because God Loves every minute detail of our lives!

Reminiscing...

Feeling so so under the weather today...
Nothing seems right...
sleep helps, but i wake with a throbbing head...
resting more in the hope of getting better faster...
hope it isn't a vain hope...

But yes, decided to think back on some merry things...
and...i really miss my childhood...the good parts of it...

I remember the sense of freedom & adventure i've always had,
receiving my keys in primary school, a wallet, & some change...
I loved the times thinking of how to scrimp & save...
running home? drinking just plain water?
eating a big breakfast in the morning?
skipping lunch? Thinking up tons of my own games...

I loved being that officer in our primary school games,
playing our mini-battles & war games,
getting all sweaty & dirtied without a care...except for later! haha!

Loved rounders in the pre-primary rooms,
with the secret aim of kicking that wallet up on the roof,
just so we could go climb it in order to retrieve the wallet!
Illicit thrills like that, knowing we might be disciplined for it...
well...they just added to the excitement of it all! =)

Loved my playground moments too...
the REAL playgrounds, where SAND was the norm,
not rubber like they are now!
Thoroughly enjoyed climbing up the swing,
perched atop that rail, sitting on the throne of the castle,
taking in the lay of the land, and feeling on top of the world!
Such a literal Joy that was!
Of course, there were thumping down to earth moments,
sometimes, climbing badly, or just slipping off...
but yeah...sand is a pretty good friend!
Got more than my fair share of scrapes & bruises,
but nothing broken, so...NO WONDER i enjoyed it always! =P

Eventhough it was frequently empty when i got home,
home was a haven of fun also!
Enjoyed those moments of freezing my own ice packs to suck on,
running up 14 floors instead of taking the lift,
thinking i was the hero, rushing up a tower,
monsters not far behind, safety not far ahead! haha!

I remember my room & the balcony,
climbing on to the grill to play, and to be like Tarzan! haha!
& I hazard that some will be asking right now...who is that!?!?! HAHA!

Chores were mundane little tasks...
but haha! With my sister & I, nothing was ever mundane!
I remember the assignment to clean the kitchen! HAHA!
We plugged the drainage hole, flooded the kitchen,
and then proceeded to slip & slide all over the place! HAHA!

As i recall, mopping the house was similar too! =)
We sloshed soap water about and then proceeded to slip & slide first,
then mop it all up later! HAHA!
Such fun making our own little joys!

The task i always remember, washing the dishes!
There was always a procedure to it...

dump the food, scrape it clean, rinse...
soap & scrub, front & back, in & out...
dip rinse, visual check, towel dry!
Dry on the rack, place it well...dun crack anything!
DONE!

Sure...there were some unhappy days of childhood,
but none that i'd wanna write out,
shall dwell on the happy & try to get well in a jiffy!

Exciting what goes through a boy's mind! =D
& yes, amazing what i can recall when sick like today...=P

God's word for today was...interesting...

"Let me show you how letting go
& hanging on work together"

Lesson drawn from Luke 9:24

Serendipity...

Nothing but Your will for me...

Pinpricks of Light...

A true emergency shocks us into the necessity of action; from then on, the greatest danger...is inaction...

To many, TOO MANY...
the safest place is one in the dark, hidden, kept away, impersonal...
it can seem the most intimate, pleasurable or the best place...
but the dungeon, that dark prison is never where we're meant to be

I've seen a better way...
When Light enters that dark dungeon of despair...
Illumination may be blinding, painful to the senses, a shock to the system,
yet it also shows the squalid conditions, the pitiful state of things,
and best of all, it shows that there is a way out of that place,
...if you're willing to trust & obey...

Sigh...
I think one of the great challenges of my role,
is that i can NEVER coerce or convince, i can only point the way,
and then wait...to see if the choice is taken, or the person remains...
My pain is in watching the struggle, feeling helpless,
wishing i could take the reins, & having to fight that urge to...

I have to remm that my feeling & emphathy are off the charts high...
almost maxed out, and while that reminds me that i'm in the best job fit,
it also is a caution for me to manage that well, so that burn out doesn't hit.

Feeling for others is seriously strenuous,
youthful days may never feel the strain,
but waning days surely do...

RickW put it succintly when he said...
he'd never put someone on his staff who hadn't been through hurt,
because it meant they never saw God come through for them.

Drudgery is on the finest touchstones of character there is.
Drudgery is work that is very far removed from anything to do with the ideal -
the utterly mean grubby things; and when we come in contact with them,
we know instantly whether or not we are spiritually real.
~Oswald Chambers~

It's never been about the struggle, or despair, pain, hurt,
when you look beyond that, beyond that dungeon, that prison...
it's ALWAYS been about...

Who do you trust?
What are you looking for?
Is that worth it?

Do you KNOW, REALLY KNOW, Who's been holding you all this while?

I know a person has turned the corner when my gut resonates deeply...
The amazing change that comes from an overflow of knowing God,
the Joy that emanates is a Christ-like one,
the serenity of soul is a delight to sense,

and the striving...
& struggling...
simply...
ceases
.

=)

These words in the video above caused a tingle in my soul...

"Jesus' ministry was where people were,
We've got to minister...
where people are at..."

It takes great courage, deep love,
& a fortitude of heart to wade into the mess of people's lives,
yet it also requires a tenderness, humilty,
surrenderedness...
a warrior who isn't afraid to cry

My Joy is Christ,
The privilege has been to see God work,
& sometimes being His hands & feet,
His mouthpiece even...

I reserve certain terms because to me,
they are special, set apart,
And God, you surpass them all =)

Delight & Joy abounding,
Freedom & upliftedness,
Restedness, calm, and a smile!

Thank You Lord!
I LOVE YOU

Rights or responsibilities...

So often we fight for our perceived "rights"...
the right to speak up, the right to an opinion,
the right to be who we are, the right to be different...
there are so many "rights"...but are they REALLY right?

I've been stewing on things...
and i've decided that "rights"...
the concept of it is correct, yet...our application is flawed.
Many times, we fight NOT for what is right...
but for our PERSONAL RIGHTS...
It ends up being tremendously selfish,
and extremely self-serving...

Yet there was the One who showed us the better way,
He had ALL the RIGHTS of Divinity, Sonship & Love,
& yet He chose to give up those "rights"...

In doing so, Jesus showed us the meaning of Love,
the meaning of sacrifice, the meaning of selflessness.

I think that "rights" are over-rated,
and the more i learn the lesson of surrender,
the more i understand how liberating it is to have no "rights"...

When we see that we have no right to be angry,
no right to be frustrated, no right to be petulant...
then we begin to finally take responsibility for our actions.

Claiming a "right", like a birthright...
gives us an easy excuse for cutting corners & not working hard.
Taking responsibility for ourselves means working hard,
but reaping those rewards also...

Would you prefer an angry, petulant, tantrum-throwing kid?
Or one who is responsible, clears up after himself, and helps others?

So many times, when we claim our rights, we become like a petulant kid,
but when we take responsibility, we think for ourselves & for others,
and make better decisions then...

I think God showed a better way...
& though it isn't the natural way,
it surely is the better way...

I'll follow His way...not yours...

Slow slide...

They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things… (Psalm 106:21)

The slight slippery slope seems just like a minor challenge, at first
until you reach up high and find there's no where to go...
and then...looking back down a slippery slope,
or up...where it continues to extend...
you find a certain limbo...
In there, you'll find out what you've been relying on,
what has been your false image,
and it may lead to...

a lostness of heart, a dampening of spirit
a growth in disbelief...
a vanishing Joy

“In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt!” (Exodus 16:2-3)

Forgetfulness naturally leads to complaint & ungratefulness...
We find outselves looking more & more to "our" ability,
but was it ever "ours?"
We find ourselves slipping...it could be in language,
it could be in thoughts, and also in action.

We wallow & stir ourselves into a frenzy...
looking to & trying to get any relief from all we feel...
forgetting once again, that the Answer...is never far away

Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin. But he took note of their distress when he heard their cry; for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented. (Psalm 106:43-45)

There is One who ALWAYS remembers & never forgets, never forsakes us...

Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever. (Psalm 106:1)

Turn your eyes upon Jesus...
Look full in His wonderful face,
& the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
in the light of His Glory & Grace

A rushing full stop...

The heart that broke over your sin,
breaks also over your hurts.
As only the heart of God can do,
its brokenness brings you wholeness

Encountering the truth of God each day is somewhat of a Joy,
And also of somewhat of a conviction...=P
So many times I tempted to hurry along and rush out of the house,
giving in to the tyranny of the clock.

But when set as a priority, & discipline,
the truths of God come alive again.
Apart from Him, we can do...nothing
Busyness is never an excuse,
nor is laziness...

God cares even when i don't,
that is conviction enough.
But to FEEL that God cares when i don't,
that kind of Grace really breaks my heart.
And i'm glad it does...
Because it reminds me of intimate Love,
God's kind of Love,
and the One that i never want to live apart from.

We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade,
the presence of God...
He walks everywhere incognito.
And the incognito is not always hard to penetrate.
The real labour is to remember to attend.
In fact, to come awake.
Still more, to remain awake.
~C.S. Lewis~

Help me constantly keep awake to You Lord! AMEN

To satisfy the soul...

"In comparison with this big world,
the human heart is only a small thing.

Though the world is so large,
it is utterly unable to satisfy this tiny heart.

Man's ever-growing soul and it's capacities
can only be satisfied in the infinite God.

As water is restless until it reaches its level,
so the soul has not peace until it rests in God."

~With & Without Christ~
Sadhu Sundar Singh

sigh...

Truth

Obedience always brings blessing
Obedience always brings heartache

Contradictions? or Polar-opposite truths?

to be continued...

Broken hearts, broken lives...

The first Love experience, heady...tumbling, falling, totally bowled over...
Seems like everyone is talking about something like this,
Matchmaking, love manufactured, love that is momentary...
No wonder we have lost the wonder and the chemistry of Love

Set to a diet of sappy unrealistic romance novels,
equally fantastic dream worlds of hollywood...
No wonder we look for instant microwave-able Love,
and run at the first sign of a stink...

It seems that no one talks about broken hearts,
or of broken lives...yet if we look carefully...
we see these wanderings, of people meandering...
the walking wounded, limping...loveless...

or so it seems...

I submit to you, that Love is NOT merely a heady experience,
it might come in that form, and knock you over...
but that mainly is a superficial, shallow love that serves ANY masters,
I think that is...desire running amok...creating havoc

Love that is TRUE Love...is one that is tried by fire,
seen not in sweet nothings, flirting or friendliness,
Love of the TRUE nature...gives...sacrifices,
is meek, is unseen...& so...often...taken for granted.

I submit, Love that knows not brokenness,
Love that sees only the rose-hued tint & misses the storm clouds,
that...that is a love that comes from imagination, fantasy...make-belief...
it can be apprehended only as much the cloudy mists of a distant hill...

Can you understand Love if it means loving a criminal, or a lunatic?
What does it mean when Love produces a lavish portion of sweat, blood & tears?
Do you understand the refined Love that pours out from a broken heart?
Does your heart break, like a body is broken?

I've a great sense of my sinfulness...
And it leads to brokenness...
yet it can never measure with the unfathomable
the greatest measure of Love i've EVER known...

God, in His infinite Love...
He broke His OWN heart...
He tore His OWN body...
He SENT His only Son, Jesus Christ...
to die for me...sinful, unworthy me...

We stone, curse, mock & ridicule Him...even now, daily...
We hammer those nails in mercilessly by our careless living,
We live nothing like redeemed people who evidence His Love...
We deserve no such sacrifice, no such gift, no such Love...

Jesus KNEW He was the sacrifice lamb,
He knew the was dying for useless, unrighteous dung...
He saw & heard the petty bickering and hurtful talk...
He felt each insult, laugh & assault on His character...
yet He still went...to the Cross...for us

God gave His best, His Only BELOVED Son...
A man totally unblemished...
In exchange for dirty, unrighteous, ungrateful sinful men...
people like you & me...

Who has the right to say Love is that airy feeling,
a light-headedness, a sensation that brings instant delight...

No...

LOVE, true Love...
was a broken body...Jesus Christ,
A broken heart...Our Father God,
for a broken life...Mine...

This depth of Love in brokenness, so far surpasses any I've ever seen...
& I acknowledge this as True Love, the TRUEST LOVE i've EVER known...

Thank You Lord Jesus
Thank You Abba Father

I'm learning...

Intentional Disciplemaking Church (IDMC) Conference 2010 has been a blessing even in just it's first session tonight.

Edmund Chan never fails to illuminate deeply yet keep it simple...It truly is a gift!

He shared and articulated so many things that resonated within me, and yes, i think i need to blog it down because it is extremely important!

"To get into the Word is to cultivate a DELIGHT in the Word,
a DEVOTION to the Word
and a DISCIPLINE in the Word"
~Edmund Chan~

Delight, Devotion, Discipline...keywords that strike a chord in me,
because that is what i've always wanted to see, and worked to achieve,
and i see it articulated out for me now! wow!

And i like the way they all end with "...the Word"
And a little nugget of truth that was masterfully teased out of the text...
why "...the Word"?

Well...because "...the Word" is all about Jesus, He is the LIVING word, risen from the dead, ALIVE, living and active! And Delight, Devotion & Discipline...those keywords, they find their meaning in RELATIONSHIP...A LIVING & ACTIVE RELATIONSHIP with JESUS, the Word!

That's why we can Delight in, be Devoted to, and be Disciplined in knowing Him better!
All done through studying and digesting the Word of God!

I especially like the way that he described Discipline...
Most do not associate a relationship with discipline, but it is the most important!
We can never go TOO deep into the word.
We live in a very visual world, but the most important world is the unseen one.
& the most precious commodity us ULTIMATE Truth, found only in the Word.

However, being in an instant society, we want everything done quickly, and fast.
But...there is no such thing as instant growth or instant maturity.

Knowing the Word (Jesus), is like any other relationship...
It takes time, it takes effort, it takes DISCIPLINE

Are we willing to center down on Jesus each & every day, or do we allow days to slip into neglect and unknowingly run dry...is the Discipline there, or does it need to be cultivated?

If we see the bible as a book, we will not hunger for it...
but if we realise that it's the most important RELATIONSHIP we can have,
the one Truth that everything else is going to be built on...
Isn't it worth it to build that RELATIONSHIP with the Word (Jesus) daily?
Isn't it such a privilege & a pleasure to call God friend?

I want to share the devotion that was shared...but i'll leave that for tmr...
Day 2 of conference begins in afew hours...and the Word is exciting me! =D

Thank YOU Lord!
I see that my previous crankiness was a humbling preparation,
to prepare my heart for Your Word & Your Work in my life!
Thank YOU for loving me so much!

Revelatory Serendipity

Tired.Despondent.Weary..Cranky.Beaten.Fatigued.Hurt.Irritable.Fallen.Trudging.Hungry.Blur.Angry.Battle-scarred

It's inevitable that we feel such a way sometimes...
And unsurprisingly, those moments hit hardest when we're most drained...

I just returned from climbing Kinabalu, and that taught me many more valuable lessons...
I probably felt all of the above emotions...in ever-increasing measure, the further up the mountain we went. And it was not just a matter of fitness, it was altitude sickness, it was watching the landscape go from lush & luxuriant, to barren & devoid of life above the frost line. Those lessons probably cannot be completely shared here, yet...they are real ones.

I've been asked...
Why do you run marathons?
or climb mountains?
or challenge yourself this way?

Why? Good question...
I don't know...but maybe, i learn more when i do these challenges than when i don't

Each marathon was a test...

of discipline...to be able to rack up long training runs way before the marathon

of perseverance...not giving up before the finishing line
of trust...in people, in me, and in God

Climbing Kinabalu was also another such test
It was hard, but not murderous.

And through all the marathons & mountains...
There are some enduring things that i'm apprehending now...
After going through such extremes of emotions and hardship,
i've realised that most of what i go through nowadays...i'm better prepared
At least, mentally, physically & spiritually, i know i've been through tough days,
Pain, despair, and all the other things that hinder...are overcome-able
Perseverance just means putting one foot after another...
And after the pain and the struggle, it will all be worth it...

But the best lesson?
KNOWING that God is FOR me, He is WITH me, and He'll never leave nor forsake us even in our weakness...


After all...the sun always rises & the majesty of a sunrise, can hardly be captured by a camera...but it can be indelibly etched upon my heart & in my mind


And there is beauty, even in the shadows...

This is the shadow that Kinabalu casts on the land...

Simply Amazing