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

Reflections...on God

This season, with so many things happening, changes in the status quo, foundations being rocked, boundaries being tested, it helps to see things in perspective again.

During the retreat, i heard this statement "We need to forgive God..."

I totally and utterly rebuke this...because it is COMPLETELY wrong
It is not my opinion but a fact for me, because I see no example in the bible of God EVER asking us to forgive Him, or of Him even asking us for forgiveness! (show me an example if you find one...but i suspect you'd have to search til eternity or twist some example just to even hint at this)

In contemporary culture, maybe Forgiveness means letting go of an offense...like "forgive & forget", but that lacks the biblical perspective, and i think we've fallen into that trap.

Forgiveness at its biblical root means cancelling a debt, extending grace to someone who DOESN'T deserve it, forgetting an injustice. And if you look at those 3...how can we ever make God our debtor? Isn't God worthy? and God is a God of justice so...what injustice can He do?

I think...when someone makes a statement like that...they misunderstand God, or they fail to see that God is Good, all the time. It hints at a disbelief of God in some area of life. Or it means that they have believed in a subtle lie.

A lie like "We need to forgive God" basically undermines the character of God, and elevates the status of man. It implies that God...isn't good, isn't just or isn't loving, and it also implies that we think our feelings of aggravation are more important than the painful truth God reveals. It puts us on an equal or higher footing than God to say that we are able to forgive Him. This is a lie that is utterly anthropocentric (Man-centered) and not God centered.

When God reveals truth, it will might be painful, we might feel injustice, or even feel hurt by God. But if truth is allowed to do it's work within us, we gradually come to the realisation that...we felt that pain, injustice or hurt because we were holding on to certain "rights" that we thought we were "entitled to" but really, we are a people with NO rights, our whole life is a gift, the privileges and luxuries we enjoy are all given from God...maybe we have forgotten that, and that's why God in His Love reveals it to us. Truth when it has worked it's way fully into our souls, leaves us with a deeper sense of Love, a greater appreciation of His mercy, a bigger heart of compassion, and a ton of things more to give thanks for.

Maybe that's why God calls Surrender a great act of Worship,
In giving up & giving in, we finally see God for who He is,
and relinquish what we think is "ours"
to fully acknowledge what is His.

Thank You Lord!

Hidden...

And there are days i wonder...
But thankfully, more days that i stand in awe

This is the week i've had to activate my brain juices,
and in all the complexity and seemingly intelligent exchanges,
i find a common theme...something...unexpected...

You know...sometimes, there is this feeling...
A sense of lostness? Confusion? Maybe a disconnect...
You look and something and...
eventhough you feel like something ought to be there...
it isn't...

It feels like there is something missing from the picture,
and it's like a whole mess of tangles and knots...
But recently, i've had a sense of the simplicity of it all...
When we zoom out, begin to NOT see the tangles & knots...
then we begin to see a greater tapestry, the WHOLE, not just the parts

I like simplicity, and i hate duplicity...
I like to see clearly, more than fuzz up things with ambiguity...
But in the recent campaigns and things i see,
Hidden in ALL of it, is a subtle message,
a blatant attack on society and its values...

Flanking attacks might be smart and effective,
but sometimes a full frontal assault smashes any other
I choose that right now...

I'm thankful that there is One who sees clearly,
He brooks no excuses, and His Light pierces darkness,
From deceit & deception, His Truth reigns...
Through struggle and battle, His arm remains strong,
our foundations in Him are firm beyond measure,
and in His Righteousness we can stand!

moments...

Played Monopoly Deal at PCG on Friday & some lessons got reinforced again...

You know sometimes when you have all the money, all the property, it can really seem like you've everything good & winning is just a formality...

& then on the other hand...there is the guy who has nothing on the table, no money, no property & it looks like he has no chance at all but to suffer through the game...

but really, appearances are often deceiving.

I've found that I rather enjoyed the experience of "having nothing" because it came up again that the greatest act of Worship is Surrender, when we surrender, abandon ourselves to God, and just watch Him work...there is a certain (IMMENSE!) satisfaction, when things turn out amazingly! =)

Just like Monopoly Deal, i think God is like that...
I think that just when we think that it is a done deal, and that the cards on the table are showing the true picture, that's when God shows up and shows us how wrong we've been all the while!

The true power was in His hands, in the cards that He held, and those were the cards that were not laid out on the table yet! All it took was the cards in hand, and the rich became bankrupt, the poor became a landowner, and poof!...the game was won!

And oh yeah...the maximum number of cards in hand?
7...seven...just like God created the whole in 7 days,
Just like He blessed the 7th day, the Sabbath,
This humble number in the bible symbolises Perfection, Holiness & Completeness!

God...it's amazing how You teach lessons even in a game of fun! =)
And it's wonderful how the urge to write always strikes before i've to leave for somewhere! haha!

Pray for us as we go for our NTU CCC Freshmen Orientation Camp!
Thanks! =)

A couple of Tozer quotes...

The love of Christ both wounds and heals, it fascinates and frightens, it kills and makes alive, it draws and repulses. There can be nothing more terrible or wonderful than to be stricken with love for Christ so deeply that the whole being goes out in a pained adoration of His person, an adoration that disturbs and disconcerts while it purges and satisfies and relaxes the deep inner heart.

A. W. Tozer

Lord, teach me to listen. The times are noisy and my ears are weary with the thousand raucous sounds which continuously assault them. Give me the spirit of the boy Samuel when he said to Thee, "Speak, for Thy servant heareth." Let me hear Thee speaking in my heart. Let me get used to the sound of Thy voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of earth die away and the only sound will be the music of Thy speaking. Amen.

A. W. Tozer

God understands our prayers even when we can't find the words to say them.

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Today was a really trying and taxing day...didn't stop work from the moment i woke til now, and still it feels like nothing is done, like work is still waiting to eat me up, people are still calling, everyone seems in such a rush, i can't find some important documents, my bags are not packed, i'm not ready to go, and the message is still in my head, not out in powerpoint or script yet...

But in the midst of it, God still knew what i needed, and met me where i was...and that's why i'm here, thankful eventhough nothing much more is done, everything is still a mess, my bags are not packed & this looks like it's gonna be a long, sleepless night, BUT...i can still give thanks...

I thank God for providing messengers to remind me that i'm Loved, and supported, and being prayed for. Thank you for reminding me that the evil one has no hold over me...Thank you for reminding me that packing is no problem since i pack light anyway...Thank You Lord for speaking to me, and allowing me to find something I lost even LONGER ago than the documents i wanted to find...

I can't believe i wrote this so many years ago...
in my teens, when i first came to Christ...
I've given copies of this to people before i think...
but I shall post it now...
so i will always have an online copy...
and maybe it will bless others...

It is untitled...

???????????
The prayer I have for you...
Is that you'd grow old with the one God meant for you,
That your life would have no regrets,
and that you'd love each day to the fullest

Against the tide of popular belief,
I pray that you'd learn to listen and learn,
For God will prompt and guide,
If we'd just take the time to sit & wait for His light

The bane of the bountiful,
is that they have too much to choose from
I pray upon you, discernment & sound judgement,
that you'd tell the necessary from the inconsequential

There are no obligations, no complications in this world,
Just decision following decision,
One leads to another in an endless chain,
Where right & wrong, blend into a myriad of experiences

God is able to use the weak & foolish things of the world,
and He has made miracles happen from mistakes.

I pray that you'll plan each day, from the most important to the least,
That you'd give God the worries & troubles each day may bring.
For when He leads & we follow, things fall in God-divined destiny.
There's nothing that God doesn't know about, & He really does Love you.

The Joy of the Lord comes in having a personal relationship,
No amount of maturity or bible study will get you that.
When you lay your life on the line & allow God to take control,
That's when He moves & we are changed

The New Christian who gives his life completely to Christ,
is infinitely more alive,
than the Christian who has a decade of knowledge,
but yet walks with the Lord only occasionally

Thank You Lord
For your timely whispers...=)
I Love You

A reminder...

Wow...Poignant...A call to live life...
The right way...Everyday...
His true Lifestory...

http://claytonsstory.com/