introspection...

It's been a really long week and a week of much interesting stuff!

Mon & Tues: Love Movement at the Forum
Wed: Soccer interest group
Thurs: Soul2Soul Concert

This has been the most physically taxing in awhile!
Plenty of early days, long nites, all in a frenzy of activity!

Many times of dealing with conflict, working things out,
helping others thru, and also realising failings in all of us...

Discovery of, or rather deepening of a paradox:

Those we love have the ability to hurt us the most,
and they sometimes do...
and yet...because we love them,
we have the ability to overlook offence...

Somber thoughts those are...
because, i see how it is true in my life
In my times of introspection, i see that...
in the past, i have had the ability to "overlook" (in inverted comma's)
because...that meant i would just try very hard to ignore it,
or to come up with a reason for it and not blame the other person
It sorta...just hid the pain and the hurt i felt, and didn't address it.
It seemed the noble thing to do, the right thing even,
but it did not mean forgiveness, or an apology from anyone...
these small matters had the ability to snowball & erupt later...

But i've progressed along the path,
and seen how flawed this has been.
Now, to overlook means something else to me,
i try very hard to be honest with myself (it's painful sometimes)
acknowledging the emotions of it all...(hurt, pain, anger, bitterness etc)
finding out WHY the emotions emerged...
then determining if it is something i should tell the person
(if i can't do it in Love, if anger or something remains...then better not to)
or is it something i can just handle by myself.

Handling it well means that i struggle with myself,
move from those initial emotions back to a position of Love,
being able to forgive in the process, and letting things go...
It has demanded a certain "forgetfulness",
the ability to really forgive & forget, and loving back normally...

This week brought back many memories,
some of smiles, some of pain...
but when i look back, and ask God,
i'm glad that most were handled well,

Sometimes it seems that there's no fairytale,
that things just seem bleak, dark & empty...
but i always remember...
Stories are never wonderful and perfect,
they are always ups & downs,
valleys & peaks,
what makes a fairytale, a fairytale
is that...at the END of the story,
when it comes to an end,
it ends well!
and we anticipate such an ending,
LOVE it even more, because of the ups & downs before

I live a fairytale life, because thru the ups & downs,
i still sense the Love of God, His leading thru it all...
and i still have that sense of expectancy for the future!
I want to continue living like that! =)
Not looking to what i do not have,
but recognising the abundance i've been gifted with! =)


07 In You.mp3

In this world, but not of this world...

Just afew mins ago...just had what i consider to be the weirdest 3min conversation ever...

Mum: What you doing? ...ok...give me $10 ok?
Me: Mmmmm...$10? ok...but why?

Mum: Tomorrow, TOTO grand prize is $10 million, i bought for everyone in the family, even your sisters, so you buy also ok? just give me $10...
Me: Errrrrmm...but i don't want to gamble

Mum: Aiyah..this is not gambling, you put in $10 for a chance to win $10 million, then you don't have to worry about money forever! Such a good opportunity!
Me: It's ok mum, i would rather not

Mum: [laughing] where got anyone so GONG wan? It's just $10!!! Got chance to get rich but dun want? [laughs] dun be silly lah...dun be gong lah...
Me: I'm just not interested in gambling mum, sorry

Mum: ok lor...but if your sisters win the $10million, you don't go and ask them for money uh!
Me: don't worry, i won't

[click]

yes...laughable conversation i know...
I REALLY wish i had the wisdom at the moment to have said something more, to have told my mum that i've already won the greatest prize in Christ Jesus, and that i'm not excited by games of chance or lured by the prospect of riches.

I can see my mother's point of view...that she wants the best for me, that she genuinely loves me that's why she asked, that she wants me to be a man who is rich and lacks nothing. But that's not the point really...

Sure...in any form, way or manner of reasoning, you can easily argue over the point...like...
1) if you buy TOTO and you strike, then God is blessing you!
2) but...its a game! the money is just a nice bonus...
3) ...winning can be a testimony! just give everything away!
i'm sure we can think of more justifications...

But why buy in the 1st place?
What's the intention of the inward heart? riches?
Does winning TOTO some how glorify God?

Or... are we saying...
by NOT winning TOTO...means we're not glorifying God?
(Utter nonsense!)

I know that i've won the greatest prize in Christ, and that satisfies me completely...
I refuse to be lured by games of chance, or enchanted by the appeal of riches...

I was reflecting on something earlier...

"Be in this world, but not of this world..."

And yes, i'm struck by the aptness of how God prepared me for this moment, and i'm glad i did not compromise, reason it out and say...it's just $10...

I think, being in this very practical, efficient & economically driven time, $10 to win $10 million seems to be a "no-brainer" kind of decision! Of course! Just do it! Seize the chance!

But God searches and looks to the intentions of a man's heart...not to find a perfect heart, but to see if there is a heart that takes Him seriously, and desires to do what He wants more than anything else.

Tests can come in the smallest of forms ($10), and in the most unexpected ways (3 min phone call) but when the time comes, the test is still the test...where is your heart, pilgrim?

Lord, You are the sovereign Lord who knows our every battle, struggle & weakness, you know us even better than we know ourselves. Abba, grow us to be a generation of disciples of Christ who brook no compromise, who will not allow little deceptions to weaken us.

Cause us to constantly lean on You and to depend on Your Holy Spirit to guide us moment by moment. We know that the battle is ongoing, we may have victory today but we still have to be on guard the very next moment, teach us to be dependent on your guidance and never to rely on our own strength.

Lord, we know that ultimate victory is in your hands, You've conquered the grave, so teach us to live this victorious life daily! Let us shine as your light and testimony, being IN this world, but NOT of this world, allow us to be Your fragrance, living life by your precepts so that the world may know of you King Jesus! AMEN!

Uncle Sank

In memory of

Nedunghat Sankaran
"Uncle Sank"
22 May 1926 - 15 Jan 2009

Staff Emeritus,
1st local Singaporean staff

Teacher, Pioneer, Pilgrim,
Example, Inspiration, Mentor,
Spiritual Multiplier,
He finished well...

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold,
I'd rather be His than have riches untold,
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands,
I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand,
than to be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin's dread sway
I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.
~Rhea F.Miller~

http://discovery.sccc.org.sg/
http://nedunghat.wordpress.com/

Ordinary man, Extraordinary life
Dearly Loved, Fondly Remembered
He lived his life to Glorify God

different cries from different hearts

Today...i saw a boy take a tumble and fall...
He let out a howl and then started crying from the pain

It was probably painful and scary...
but in it, i observed something that really spoke something to me

When he first fell, his scream and crying was as much from the shock & pain, as it was a cry for help and for his mum to come.

After his mum picked him up, the screams toned down considerably, but the crying took on a renewed intensity & ferocity.

I think...that's the way it is with all of us isn't it?
When something happens, we cry out for help from the ones whom we know love us.
And only in that place of safety, do we dare to cry & release all that we feel...
No wonder we are to learn from children.

16"Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him.
"Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read,
" 'From the lips of children and infants
you have ordained praise'?"

Matthew 21:16

How it must feel to be in the position of the mom at that point in time...
heartbroken, yet also knowing the child came to you cuz he loves & trusts you.

Wow...high praise indeed
Lord, you show us the most surprising things sometimes =)

Thankful

Been looking back on the year, as part of reflections and consolidating my thoughts, and i can't help but feel thankful! =)

I've had the distinct feel that I REALLY knew what season last year was, and joined Him at work! And it was just such a sweet thing when it all culminated into that transition into a new season, it just turned out to be so marvelous and such a wonderful plan that only Abba could orchestrate!

Mmmm...God uses the anvil & hammer sometimes, and He wields it skillfully! It never is a comfortable thing yet, the end product is always more beautiful, better, stronger, and more complete! Wonderful!

Short, thankful post...=)

Journalling & sometimes ranting

Today...was a session on Journalling & I took home unexpected stuff i think...

Like how there is a difference between my journals and blogging...it's not that i'm 2 people, just that i don't release every thought that i have on my blog. Although sometimes it is really extremely tempting to...

Today is one of those days. So i shall...since it is my blog...i shall not apologise...

Today is a day where i just see such a generation of hurt people, who are determined to try to hide behind fading facades. If it is fading, let it fall, let others love you...Let God love you.

Are we nurturing a generation that is ungrateful, who are driven by the way others think rather than how God thinks? Do we have vast multitudes who have plenty, and give from their abundance...or do they really know what it means to give when it hurts?

Instead of thankfulness, thanklessness raises it's ugly head. We look out for the things we want to see, and we head for them, more for the pleasure of the moment than because it is the right thing to do.

We use people and chuck them aside, instead of savouring and cherishing each precious gift of friendship. Or other times, we just leave them on the scene of neglect, not caring 2 hoots what happens. Why do we do that? Why?

Promises are broken. Things are done only in times of convenience instead of because they are a priority. We handle every urgent thing, and forget every IMPORTANT one. Sorry's are easy to say...so much so that it loses it's meaning. Don't apologise if you don't mean it. I'd rather that brutal honesty really...

Instead of encouraging (giving courage), we discourage (take away courage) and slimeball others in the name of fun. Off colour jokes are not fun, jokes that create rumours and create laughing moments...they last just for a moment, if friendship is forever, dun risk the eternal for a temporal laugh.

Don't fear being left out, away from the "popular" ones...be more concerned that you surround yourself with friends who are real...people who will stick closer during a crisis. Not someone who is a friend in fun, but in danger runs...

Being solitary doesn't mean being lonely...it is in those moments where we have nothing & no one, those moments where nothing helps. Those are the moments that God wants for Himself. If we never give them to Him, the Only One who answers. Then who are we to expect answers of God? He wants to give, we refuse to receive. Sad, stubborn, stiff-necked us...

If we care what others say and think all the time, we allow them to shape our thinking, dressing, our person. I care not for that...i should only have one opinion that i seek & His alone i will find. If God clothes the fields...why should i worry? (Matt 8)

Real love tells the truth, even the unpopular truth.
It's confronts in Love. It hammers and hits home painfully.
It dares to risk all.

Today...cuz of what Judy shared, i'm sharing this...this is the way i write in my journal...I write it not to condemn anyone, i write it because i'm writing to myself.

I'm looking at myself, and seeing the ugliness that resides within, and i am challenging myself to break these mindsets. To trust God for an authenticity and a reality that comes from knowing and seeing His ways. If these thoughts somehow bring up something in your minds too. Maybe God has a purpose in showing you the areas i struggle with too.

"Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses."
Proverbs 27:6
I rather the pain from a friend than kisses from an enemy.

Dare to love and to be a real friend.
The love you give and receive is a reality that will lead you closer and closer to God as well as those whom God has given you to love.

Henri J. M. Nouwen

and the record continues breaking...

A father and his young daughter were great friends and much in each other's company.
Then the father noted a change in his daughter.
If he went for a walk, she excused herself from going.

He grieved about it, but could not understand.
When his birthday came, she presented him with a pair of exquisitely worked slippers, saying,
"I have made them for you."

Then he understood what had been the matter for the past three months, and he said.
"My darling, I like these slippers very much, but next time buy the slippers and let me have you all the days. I would rather have my child than anything she can make for me. "

Some of us are so busy for the Lord that He cannot get much of us.
To us He would say,
"I know your works, your labor, your patience, but I miss the first Love."

G. Campbell Morgan


Making the unspecial special,
and the special unspecial,
what curious & disgusting paradoxes we are.

What is life?

Today...after Christmas service, had lunch with the others at Holland V and waited for the longest time for our meal to arrive!

WT, Ah Seng & my meal was the last to arrive cuz they didn't happen to mention that they are run out of linguine...gosh...and it was a pretty surreal time there. I was hungry, though not anymore by the time the food came. And yeah...instead of moving too much around, i just basically sat there to stone.

I just felt such a sense of ...blehness...

thought it was cuz of fatigue, since i didn't sleep much! But my afternoon nap didn't really help much, woke up, returned the car then went for dinner...and that's when it hit me...as i looked around, i could not help but feel "bleh..." or maybe...more accurately, it was a sense of despondency, a sense of sadness...

I think it started when Ben Ooi mentioned something as he read the Liveline article on foreign workers here, and he told me how his heart was wrenched by this group of people...well...it set me thinking, and in the evening, as i was getting dinner, i was so struck with compassion for the lady who got me my yong tau foo, she has a gnarled hand...one that is stuck in a certain clench...and she was hard at work on Christmas, serving customers like me. Does your soul cry out for such as these...i know that Jesus' does

It struck me that it was just like that when Jesus came so many years ago...everyone was busy, going about life as usual, when the greatest gift was delivered and presented to us. It was such an "unknown" event, yet the most earthshaking event also...

Makes me value what i do even more...i dun care if i'm just a tiny drop in an ocean...even if i make just a small indiscernable ripple, i care no longer...it's not about me, it's about doing what i'm compelled to do, using my life to honour God in the best way possible. It is tempting sometimes to look at what i "do-not-have", yet i also see that alot of times, being content with doing my best for the least, for the lost, for those who have no capacity to repay me, that is what makes my heart truly soar...it's like...a little bit of heaven looking into those eyes and feeling that unfettered flutter in my heart. Maybe that is why i like to look people in the eye...i'm looking for heaven, to give it or to connect with some kindred soul who has that apart from the trappings of the world.

Lord Jesus, today, i realise the reality of the poverty of a world without you anew, and i see how poor i am when i overlook it too. In the richness of Christ, allow me to have a greater sense of how to live my life to the fullest, give my best, my riches, my all to bear for your kingdom work. I desire to show the Love of Christ, the fullness of Joy in You, the abundance You give, and the freedom of spirit You release, Lord, teach me so that i may show it with my life. In every season, for every reason and purpose you call me to, be glorified through me. In Jesus' blessed name i pray, AMEN

musings...

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

Edmund Burke

Irish orator, philosopher, & politician (1729 - 1797)

Been pondering some of these issues...
of how much that goes on,
goes on cuz we do nothing to put a stop to it.
Of how it is in our hands to do something,
but many times we relinquish our responsibility...
to speak up, to do something, to make a difference.

We let things slide, try not to disturb the status quo,
we value being accepted more than pointing out wrongs...
I wonder what Jesus would do in some of these ethical dilemmas...

Then i remember...
He who as a boy, spoke with such wisdom in the temple that people listened,

I remember the Jesus who turned the temple upside down,
when he saw that it was being used as a marketplace more than a temple.

I remember the man who ate at the table of "sinners",

who valued the harlot who broke a vial of nard over his feet,
and cleaned his feet with her hair...

He who called a man (Zaccheus) down from a tree, and in doing so...
transformed a tax collector into a man who loves...

I remember a Jesus who spit into dirt, made mud paste,
& healed a blind man through the application of the mud...

I remember Jesus who carried His own cross up to calvary,
to die there for the sins of men, and who uttered...
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do..."

I see all these, and i can't help but notice that Jesus never "did nothing..."
He never let evil triumph by being invisible.
Jesus was visible, His actions spoke volumes of His Love,
His obedience, His utter passion for individuals...

May this generation be a generation that seeks the Master's renown!
One that speaks up, acts out of Love, and makes a difference because of Christ!

SC Singapore Marthon'08

The run yesterday was...eventful! =)

Was battling diarrhea the previous few days and when i woke up and had to go to the washroom at 2am on raceday...i thought "die lah...there goes the run..."

At that point, i had pretty much decided to forgo the run, just wake at 3am, for the sole purpose of chauffering Donovan and Tiffany Tan to the race. Still, the old determination kicked in when i woke again at 3am, so i decided, just dress as if you are running and see how you feel at the start line. =)

Whilst waiting for Don, i reviewed the race course, and saw that we loop back to the finish line, so i decided, ok...i will try out that loop, if i'm feeling terrible, then i'll stop and just cheer them on, so yeah...told Don the plan, that i may just drop out cuz i was unwell...it was abit of a downer.

Well...to cut the long story short, i did the loop, felt pretty alright, and decided to continue, of course, it was still a hard run for me! Had to concentrate quite abit on my tummy, and i didn't really make much conversation with Don, unlike during our Sundown run. And oh yeah...i had to make 2 pitstops along the way! But yeah...i was prepared so those were pretty good and quick stops! The only worry was dehydration, so i made sure to keep drinking and drinking, and the gels we brought helped alot! =)

In the end, somewhere 3 to 4km from the end, i told Don, "Go ahead, i'm done, but even if i'll walk all the way, i'll surely finish...don't let me hold you back." At that point, cuz of the hot sun and the queasy tummy, i decided that i needed the water, the slower pace and probably the washroom again! So yeah...Don went ahead, and i couldn't find a washroom until i reached the esplanade!! hahaha! but yeah...by then i was grinning cheek to cheek already, the esplanade is just about 1km from the finish...nothing at all! So yeah...even took time to sms Rufus from the washroom "Sorry i'm late, but i'll be there soon! I'm in the Esplanade washroom" hahaha! my attempt at humour! (i just missed the timing i said i'd hit!)

the last bit of drama was really just before the finish line! about 200m away, when my left calf start spasming! yeah...cramp...totally the wrong time!! But yeah...i rubbed it down a little and carried on jogging! Seeing the guys 100m from the end was a boost! and i heard that the shots were pretty nice!! HAHA! =)

After this experience, finishing a marathon with diarrhea and having to visit the washroom twice, someone please smack me if i ever say i'm gonna run when sick! =) haha! but i think that i re-learnt some parts of myself, the steely determination part, and the practical "know-my-limits, yet wanting to push the limits" part, determination brought me to the 38+km mark, before the practicality kicked in and i knew it was not sensible to push anymore.

Mmmm...on reflection, this was a great run for many reasons, chief of which was facing and conquering obstacles, and yeah...i'm not any worse off for it, the only after effects i have from the run is a slightly sore left knee (which i'm icing down) and yeah...even did some light exercise and cycling this morning to get the muscles moving, so woo...overall, a good day yesterday! =)

I'm a happy camper! =D

Drawing near...

The story of Abraham rings out to me in this season...

Did Abraham not feel anything when God said..."Give me Isaac"?
Can it be that he was so heartless?

I can scarcely think so...

I think of him,
the struggle of emotions he must have felt,
the pain almost like mortal stabs to his heart...
the unbearable walk up the mountain holding Isaac...
the inner tears that he shed as he lay him down...
the trembling hands, shaking legs...
mirroring the broken heart...
what pain it must have been...

and then what Joy...JOY...JOY

The delight of seeing the ram, the sacrifice that God prepared...

the test of hardest Faith that Abraham had to go through...

Wow!
I wait in expectation,
You know my heart Lord
I trust in You

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

Writing is my remedy...

I've found that writing really does help me express myself,
yeah...of course, sometimes i write cryptically,
but that's just cuz i'm expressing my thoughts to myself.

Words really do bring me a sense of comfort,
it also is something i appreciate!
Those who know me, know i love notes,
letters, books, articles, stimulating reads.

Things can come to me through email,
snail mail or handwritten...
I appreciate them all!
When did my obsession with words begin?

I'm not too sure...maybe when i was young,
reading those tales of old, they sparked a curiosity that's never sated
Now when i write, it can be crystal clear,
wonderfully cryptic or sometimes beautifully poetic.

Words just express what i want to say,
and when they don't, the rant helps me release anyways!
HahahA! Win-win situation!

I embark on a mighty busy planning week ahead...
doesn't help that i'm falling ill
but yeah...hope the planning goes well,
and i get better...
i wanna run!!!!

Ok...random posts seem to be the order of the day!
hahaahah!

Thanksgiving

The 4th Thursday in November, that's when Americans celebrate Thanksgiving

I've been thinking on it, and i've been keeping my eyes open.
So often, we lack a grateful thankfulness

We take so many things, so many people for granted.
Is it only after they are gone that they will be looked upon fondly?

A day to celebrate and give thanks, that's a cool idea,
yet, at the same time it can be done totally bereft of meaning too.
We can thank yet totally lose the meaning behind it.
Totally invalidate it in the next instance...

Yet...doing it honestly, without ulterior motive,
just for the utter pleasure of appreciating someone.
That...that is a gift that keeps giving...
one of those things that God places in our hands to steward

I thank God for all i've been through,
in all of them my eyes have been opened
now...I appreciate so many things in life,
attributing them rightly as gifts from God.

Yesterday, i made a very hard decision,
one i struggled to make...
I wanted so much to just do what i wanted to do...
but i chose not to in the end...
the drive to the airport was a hard one...
possibly an angry one...
yet...upon reaching, i know i did the right thing
I think that being a minister of reconciliation means all these hard decisions.

Picking them up & then going for a leisurely dinner,
catching up and being adults among adults...
those are breakthroughs that i've wanted for so long.
They are finally here...Thank You Lord.

I think of what i've seemingly "missed out"
and i count it all loss for the sake of Christ.

Thanksgiving...Truly...a Thanksgiving...
Lord i really thank You...
I see this as step one...
building that bridge cuz there is a harder one ahead.
Yet...i trust in You.

I walk on, this battle, the one that i'm put in to mend...
it was never mine, it was before me...
though i suffered from it, it was still a blessing
Now...this unique position is mine...
Only cuz You gave the ministry of reconciliation...
Forgive me if i complain...
Lord i need a measure of Grace only you can give

Grant me that wisdom, that courage...to do the right thing always.

no other fount i know...

Who's there left standing when the smoke clears?
Life is a fleeting adventure, one meant to be lived fully, uncomplicated...

Why then do we complicate matters?
So many things, people, issues assault just when it's time to slow down.

It's effortless to lose something,
especially painful if it's a person, someone...

Today...i had that sense of what it meant to lose, and lose big...
piled on top of everything else...it was just a bunch of too much emotions.

God, You who conquered the grave, you who are mighty to save...
I trust You, especially when things are hard...when the chips are down.

You know where I am now, in You, i'm never lost.
I trust and lay my life in your hands.

How i wish for ______, for ______, for _______
You see the depths of my heart and You know what i need.
Above all, You know i desire You far more than any of those.

I've plumbed the depths of my heart Lord,
Ready and waiting for the moment you call,
I'm primed for action, ready to move...
but i'm waiting on You.
Keep me there until Your time is right for me.
I do not want to move without You.

Do it again! =)

A child kicks its legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life.
Because children have abounding vitality,
because they are in spirit fierce and free,
therefore they want things repeated and unchanged.

They always say, Do it again;
and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead.
For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony.
But perhaps God is strong enough...

It is possible that God says every morning,
Do it again, to the sun;
and every evening, Do it again, to the moon.

It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike:
it may be that God makes every daisy separately,
but has never got tired of making them.

It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy;
for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.

G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton

Sometimes, in the absence of words,
those of others say it better =)
Do it again!

I do not want to lose that sense of wonder,
that delight in the little things,
the marvelous privilege of enjoying my King,
the sense of Joy being able to walk & run with Him,
the way that He made us,
to worship, exalt & to thoroughly ENJOY Him!

Wow!
Do it again, Lord!

I love it when you do!
Thank You! =)

The Discipline of Secrecy...

Dallas Willard, writing about the spiritual discipline of secrecy Jesus espouses in the Sermon on the Mount, says, “[O]ne of the greatest fallacies of our faith, and actually one of the greatest acts of unbelief, is the thought that our spiritual acts and virtues need to be advertised to be known... [S]ecrecy, rightly practiced enables us to place our public relations department entirely in the hands of God... [W]e allow him to decide when our deeds will be known and when our light will be noticed.”

When we desire godly secrecy, Willard goes on to suggest that love and humility before God will develop to the point that we’ll not only see our friends, family, and associates in a better light, but we’ll also develop the very Christian virtue of desiring their good above our own.

Paul expressed this very truth to the Philippian church when he told them to “do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

Extracted from
"The Joy of Living Secretly"
Margaret Manning

A good name is more than a label...

"Life, like war, is a series of mistakes,
and he is not the best Christian
nor the best general who makes the fewest false steps.

He is the best who wins the most splendid victories by the retrieval of mistakes.

Forget mistakes;
organise victories out of mistakes."
~F W Robertson~

Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee.

Here am I, all of me.
Take my life, it's all for thee.

Are you willing to give Jesus your remote control?

If you were a wise man, one with insight, foresight,
blessed with the temerity to make decisions that others wouldn’t,

...would you be willing to relinquish all trust in your own wisdom,
and let someone else take over?

If you were a rich man, with all the resources that the depth of your pockets can muster,

...would you stop thinking in terms of economy,
and place all control you had in the hands of another?

If you were a mere mortal man, blessed with nothing more than common sense, a heart of love, hands that serve,

...would you do the uncommon,
love the unlovable, serve your enemies?

I find that for myself...
frequently, the first thing that happens is that an excuse reaches the tip of my lips.
Sometimes, it comes out...
In my better moments, it doesn’t.

“I’m not...wise enough, ....or rich enough, ...or possess enough information to make a decision.”

But actually...the honest, hard-to-face truth is...
Who we are, is who we are through and through...
The answers to the BIG questions are the same ones that you give to the small decisions

When someone asks you for a favour? What is your response?
When a guy pushes his way past you brusquely, identify your emotions?
When people around you are noisy & distracting, what runs through your mind?

What if you were asked to switch the channel?
Or turn down the volume?

(Cuz the King of Kings & Lord of Lords, Jesus himself wanted to meet with you!)

Are you willing to give Jesus your remote control?

If only i was a shooting star...

En el caos, en tormenta sé que sigues
siendo Dios. Cuando siento que soy débil me
das la gracia para seguir.
Al oír tu dulce voz, cantaré esta
canción.

No hay nadie como tú, sólo Cristo.

One day as he was walking by the sea, he saw a small boy who, with the help of a shell, was emptying water from the ocean into a hole he had dug in the sand.

"What are you doing, son?" asked Augustine. He was impressed by the naive answer, "I'm going to empty all the sea into this hole."

Augustine smiled. An inner voice, however, was saying to him, "You are trying to do the same thing by thinking you can understand the depths of God with your limited mind."

Augustine

I don't understand Lord, i really don't...

But still...
i'll obey
cuz it's You.

haha!

Caught 'Robots' earlier on the tv, originally thought that it could have been better, but then, when i began to see the clever puns, the really smart way of how they did their jokes, i could tell that it was not going to be an animation-driven kinda movie, but a storyline-driven one! =) Not bad!

Later on, the animation made sense too! Now i know why the Robots were not all sharp and fabulous looking at the start! =) They had to be that way, so that the show was good and 'realistic' to the setting!

Will not say too much about it except that it was good holiday fun! =) This is one of the last jokes...about how they made up a new dance...

Jazz plus Funk
Junk...

HAHAHAH! =D I like it cuz it is simple humour, yet also deeper! =)
Like...how can 2 great dance styles (Jazz & Funk), create something like Junk? hahah!
It either redefines what "Junk" is, or is a parody of what we do frequently...
which is...we do not recognise greatness initially, calling it junk!

So much of the time, we forget how much depth we each possess! Like how even in the simple creation of a sentence, there can be plenty of hidden meanings & innuendo. I love the symbolism of the Chinese language, where every brushstroke and combination has a specific meaning, which when put together, literally "paints" a picture of the word! Wow!

We are all component parts...some parts that we understand, some that we don't. Don't call what you have Junk...you just may not understand it yet. It could be a fusion of Jazz & Funk!

God makes no mistakes! =)

Intelligence plus character -
That is the goal of true education
~Dr Martin Luther King, Jr~