Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Year End reflection 2008

I like ending the year. It's because I always look forward to the new year. I have accomplished much and there is much to look forward to. The next church camp will be fabulous. The next candlelight service will be great. I know so.

But it is not so much as measuring success as enjoying life as God lays it out. 2008 has been hard times. But life has always been about making the most out of situations. We all have our battles to fight.

I have little to add to my enjoyment of this year. The primary thought being that I will strive and thrive in the next year.

I leave you with the best Christmas message I've read this year. (From the biblioblog Experimental Theology)

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

New Year Resolutions 2008

1. Work hard musically. I have the resources, I now have the time. No reason it cannot work. It would be exciting because I really want to do certain thrilling stuff.
2. Reform the praise and worship. It is good now, but lacking the punch. Time for some zest.
3. Reading habit reboot. Enough said. Ultimate aim : Book Club

As for this blog, I'm not sure if anybody is still reading. But I aim to contribute more often. I also aim to finish my project at presbyterianonebody, onespirit and one faith.

Monday, December 22, 2008

WoW32: Human Interaction is just Self-Fulfilling prophecy

Why do some people find a group of people negative, and some others find the same group of people positive? I believe we pretty much read into people's actions whatever we have originally preconceived.

This is the famous story of the Lost Axe:

A man who lost his axe suspected his neighbour's son of stealing it. To him, as he observed the boy, the way the lad walked, the expression on his face, the manner of his speech - in fact everything about his appearance and behaviour betrayed that he had stolen the axe.

Not long afterwards the man found his axe while digging in his cellar. When he saw his neighbour's son again, nothing about the boy's behaviour nor appearance seemed to suggest that he had stolen the axe.

Source in Original Text!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

On Knowing

There are many times I hate to say that I don't know. It is a necessary by-product of hard work in academic research and honesty in character building. I'm glad for this quote (Joshbot):

"As someone who is an expert in a tiny "portion of the elephant," and applies this expertise to the public at large, I think you make some accurate points. For my job it's important to understand that there are things I know, things I think I know (with varying degrees of certainty), and things I don't know. One of the main sources of tension comes from being honest about not knowing. The majority of people do not want to know how much is unknown about their particular problem, and sharing this truth with them generally results in anxiety. Personally, I think inducing some anxiety is better than being fraudulent."

Friday, December 12, 2008

Thinking about death

One of the key points about Christianity is the being and act of Jesus. This refers to his identity and his ministry. And the must blatant truth about Jesus' mission is to die.

WoW31: Death is a life transforming concept.

In thinking about this, I remembered a Chinese quote:
人固有一死,或重于泰山,或轻于鸿毛,用之所趋异也
汉代司马迁的《报任安书》,也称《报任少卿书》

Death comes to all, but not all deaths have the same value. It depends on its use. Knowing this makes us live even more purposefully. At the same time, it puts matters on earth in perspective.

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

One recommendation

There are very few web comics that is truly good and consistently relevant. Boy on a stick and snake is a wonderful comic about religion, science, philosophy and social critic. I especially like the opposing comment from the 2 main character. And it is always worth a quote or a food for thought.

Enjoy this one:
Boy: Are snakes religious?
Snake: Yes
Boy: What do you believe?
Snake: We believe we are right.

Thursday, December 04, 2008

The world of Biblioblogs

That's my main obsession for now. If you want to know my current reads, try out some in this list:

50 top bibloblog

FFoB6: John and Jack

Did you know that Jack is actually derivative from John? So is the name Shane. It is apparently a common mistake to confuse Jon, which is the short form of Jonathan (God's gift), with John. The meaning of John is "God is gracious". And the meaning of Zechariah is "God has remembered". I think they are both good names. :)

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Fear of Indoctrination

I can sympathize with the atheist view that children are being indoctrinated by the church and parents into a bogus faith.

Consider me surprised to read about this: Children are borne believers of God. That is a response on this article.

Well, let's hope more research is done on this fascinating discovery.

Life happens

It is somewhat ironic that despite me telling myself that I will get back on track with this blog, a week has passed until the next entry. This just goes to show the difficulty of planning my life these days.

I would like this blog to be a mental note to myself.

The first thing that I MUST record is a important scene from the movie, The Bucket List, which I surely will screen the next youth camp.

Two questions:
1. Have you found joy in your life?
2. Has your life brought joy to others?

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

I am back

I have not written for a long time. But I intend to. Let this be a good start to a long lasting relationship.

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Sermon comments?

The comment on my last sermon is "short and sweet". Is that a good thing? Is brevity the top criteria in sermons today?

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Sermon on Matthew 1:18-25

Title: To do the “right” thing (Matthew 1:18-25)

18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Since last week, we have begun a new series of sermons for the bilingual service that talk about specific passages from the four Gospels. We wish to look into different issues related to the Christian life when one is confronted by the Gospel and by the encounter with Jesus Christ. Today, we want to talk about Joseph. What happened to him when Jesus came into his life? What was his response? What can we learn from his struggles and his actions? This is our message for today.

Point 1: Joseph’s problem

To appreciate Joseph’s story, we need a clear understanding of Joseph’s background. We are given a very important key to that: Joseph was a righteous man. Now, those two words have tremendous implications on Joseph’s standing in the Jewish community. This label is given to someone who studies and observes the Jewish Bible. It means he obeys the Ten Commandments, the food laws and he attends the synagogue and celebrates the holy festivals. This is a desirable reputation of a man well-regarded by others as good and respectable. Joseph was a righteous man.

But Joseph’s identity and reputation were facing a crisis. He heard rumors that his fiancée Mary was pregnant before their marriage. An unwed mother came into his life. Young women who dabble with sexual relations before marriage were considered religiously second class. They are not righteous. This was definitely what everybody was whispering about Mary and her pregnancy. Yet, this person was the woman that he loved and whom he originally intended to marry. What is a righteous man to do? According to the Jewish law, he had a few choices.

If Mary had been seduced, then both Mary and the seducer were to be stoned to death. If Mary had been raped, then the rapist would be put to death. If no one confessed and the rapist was not found, then Mary had to drink some “waters of bitterness”[1]. If she died from the water, she would be guilty, if not, she would be innocent. There was another method, and quite a tricky one. Joseph could marry Mary, and then ask her parents to produce “tokens of virginity”[2]. If Mary was not a virgin, then no proof of virginity would be found on the wedding bed and she would be stoned. In the end, Joseph chose the way that kept his own good name and protected Mary the most, and that was to divorce her privately.[3] In this way, Joseph kept the law by not marrying a suspected fornicator and Mary was sheltered from a disgraceful public persecution. Most would have considered this a very noble act, and certainly it is so. But was just following the law really the right thing to do? What were to become of Mary and her child? Is what that is considered righteous to man also considered righteous to God?

Two explorers were on a jungle safari when suddenly a ferocious lion jumped in front of them. “Keep calm” the first explorer whispered. “Remember what we read in that book on wild animals? If you stand perfectly still and look the lion in the eye, he will turn and run.” “Sure,” replied his companion. “You’ve read the book, and I’ve read the book. But has the lion read the book?”

Clearly, there is the obvious written word in the book, and there is also the actual situation. To do the ‘right’ thing involves more than just following the law, the written word. You need to know the entire reality. More importantly, you need to know the situation from the perspective of God, God’s reality.

Point 2: Conquering his fear

Clearly, Joseph was not seeing the entire reality, God’s reality. He saw the problem, his reputation as a righteous man at stake, and he did what he thought was enough according to the written word. But God made it clearer to him by sending an angel to enlighten him. The child in Mary, her conception was from the Holy Spirit. The son that will be born will save his people from their sins. This is done so as to fulfill the prophecy that God will be with his people. God is with us. Immanuel. If this was God’s reality, if this was God’s plan, then what was the right thing for Joseph to do? There are two parts to the right thing to do.

Firstly, Joseph was not to be afraid. This was the same command given to Mary as well. Do not be afraid”. Mary was obviously fearful because she was going to be a mother. A mother without marriage. Teenage pregnancy and everything. We can understand why Mary needed the command. Why was Joseph was fearful? I’m always glad that we have Matthew’s version of the Christmas story, because it is so different from Luke’s version. He lets us appreciate the parallel side of the story, the father’s side, and frankly it deserves as much attention as what Mary had to go through.

I remember when my wife told me she was pregnant again. Sure there was joy, because we wanted two children. But all the “interesting” memories that I had buried away resurfaced again. Before birth, you face the many helpless moments between eccentric cravings and nausea. After birth, you have the sleepless nights to feed milk and change diapers. Nobody mentions the father’s side of the story, and we are supposed to take it like a man. Luke and the Roman Catholic Church are all about Mary’s wonderful act of motherhood. But, Matthew redeemed this for us by telling us the father’s sacrifice. I’m just kidding. The truth is that Joseph’s true fears went beyond these.

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name will smell as sweet.”[4] This is a feminine point of view and indeed very true. It is the essence that counts, not the title or reputation that matters. But even until today, a man’s reputation defines who he is to the world. He is only as good and worthy as his namesake. In ancient times, a general would rather die in the battlefield than to stain his good name. Sure, Joseph could claim that Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. But it would have convinced no one. And there was a real fear that if he married Mary and took her home, his righteous name would be gone forever. To do the right thing, Joseph needed to face and conquer his fear. What is fear?

During his years as premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev denounced many of the policies and atrocities of Joseph Stalin. Once, as he censured Stalin in a public meeting, Khrushchev was interrupted by a shout from a heckler in the audience. “You were one of Stalin’s colleagues. Why didn’t you stop him?”

“Who said that?” roared Khrushchev. An agonizing silence followed as nobody in the room dared move a muscle. Then Khrushchev replied quietly, “Now you know why.”[5]

Fear is what often immobilizes us from doing the right thing. And that is the first command to Joseph. “Do not be afraid”. Look beyond your own reality, your reputation, your name, your status before man. Understand God’s reality and his plans for mankind. Mary’s conception was of the Holy spirit, and Jesus the son will save God’s people from their sins. When God’s reality becomes clear to us, we must dispel all fears to do the right thing.

Point 3: Taking responsibility

The first part to doing the right thing is not to be afraid. The second part is to take responsibility. The second command to Joseph was to name the son Jesus. To name the child is to claim ownership. Joseph would be husband to Mary and father to Jesus. In naming Jesus, Joseph took up the responsibility of giving legitimacy to Mary and Jesus. He would naturally bear all the gossips and slanders that came along with Mary’s awkward situation. In thinking of this, I am reminded of a story I read in a popular blog Dooce.com.

“So I gave myself an enema and sat down on the bathroom floor to cry. Jon kept knocking on the door to see if I was okay and although I knew he meant well I was in so much pain that I wanted to dunk his head into the toilet. After almost ten minutes things started to happen. Enemas are supposed to work after just five minutes, but I had SEVEN WHOLE DAYS of stool softener and fiber lodged from my large intestine all the way up to my ears.

Every time I got up to sit on the toilet, however, things stopped working, and the only thing I could think to do was to get into the bathtub. Yes, the bathtub. The place where we washed our hair and innocent bodies. I didn't know what else to do. I didn't have a choice. Either I poop in the tub or I DIE FROM NOT POOPING.

In my hysteria I filled the tub with water thinking that it would calm me down, obviously not thinking about what things would look like after the "experience." And then it happened. You know. I had another baby in the bathtub, a floater the size of a men's size 13 clog. And then I gave birth to six or seven other babies, all floaters like their older brother.

I stood up and washed off almost passing out from the pain and exhaustion, and you know what? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I'M ABOUT TO TELL YOU?

My husband toweled me off, helped me put my clothes back on, and then he did what no human being on this earth should ever have to do and HE CLEANED UP MY MESS. Not only did he see the mess, he physically transferred it from the bathtub to the garbage can outside and then scrubbed the tub with bleach. He says he can still remember being astonished by how much it seemed to weigh.

After that morning I've granted him a lot of things because people, he picked up my poop. And you have to ask yourself, would my partner pick up my poop? And if you think the answer is NO then JUST WHAT DOES IT MEAN to be a partner? ASK YOURSELF THAT.”[6]

This story etched into my memory like superglue and many times in my marriage I am reminded of this and what it means to be a partner. Today, I am relieved to tell you this story so that you share and bear this scary and yucky image together with me. To be a partner is to clean up all the mess. The only way to demonstrate that you are a partner is to take up the responsibility no matter how unpleasant it is. In thinking of what Joseph had to do, I immediately thought of this story. This kind of willingness and action is what I feel is doing the right thing. You first have to conquer your fears, and then you take up the responsibility.

“By focusing on Mary, Luke emphasizes the essential passivity of the human response to God’s action: “Let it be me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Matthew, on the other hand, by selecting Joseph as his leading actor, stresses the active component in the human response.”[7] Joseph had to do the right thing. He had to conquer his fears and take up the responsibility. In doing this, he showed that he is a true partner to Mary in bearing all the mess. And to us, it is a great witness of what it means to be a true partner to God.

Conclusion

Dr Henry Cloud has this interesting analogy of God’s Plan A and Plan B.[8] We often think that God’s Plan A is to do his own work directly, and his Plan B is to do his work through human beings. This is a wrong concept of how God works. There is only one plan of God, and he always works through human beings. We all want to be part of God’s plan, and we think it is all about glorious victories and wonderful successes. But today we see that smooth sailing, painless, effortless work is not God’s work. To be a true partner to God, to do the right thing, is to conquer our fears and to take up the responsibility. To be mentally ready and to actually go into the job and get messy and dirty. God’s work is with people, and ministry with people is like opening cans of worms. Immanuel! God is with Man! In Jesus, God shows his willingness to be part of mankind. To work with disciples and to die on the cross. Messy stuff indeed!

I know. We have our reputations and polished images to upkeep. We want to keep our well organized lives, our routines and carefully selected comfortable group of relationships. But there is more than just our reality. There is God’s reality. He has a plan to save people from their sins. He has started the project. It appears to be a messy one that will transform our identity, our lives and our usual concerns. Ministry with people living in sin, self-righteous people, people with low self-esteem, quarrelsome, people with great pain and suffering, all messy stuff indeed! But today, I give you this invitation to do the ‘right’ thing. Conquer your fears and take up the responsibility. Be part of this partnership with God. And you will find your true self in God. Immanuel! God with us! And God be in you too.

[1] See Number 5:11-31

[2] See Deuteronomy 22:13-21

[3] See Deuteronomy 24:1-4

[4] Juliet, from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, 1594

[5] Today in the Word, July 13, 1993

[6] http://www.dooce.com/archives/daily/04_15_2005.html

[7] Douglas R.A. Hare, Matthew, John Knox Press (1993), p8

[8] See Henry Cloud and John Townsend, Making small groups work, Zondervan (2003), p. 23-27

Monday, April 07, 2008

Questionable Content

If you want to now what is going on in my life the past few days, check this out:
Questionable Content.


It is quite possibly the hippest and most engrossing online comics I have ever come across.

Normally I will be reading on non-stop, but I just came across a quote from that site that I must simply include here.

"Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past,
If that is true, then wisdom is knowing you'll be an idiot in the future,
And common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot NOW."

Monday, March 31, 2008

Cell group ice-breakers

Which one is your favorite?

1. If you didn’t have to worry about making a living what would you most like to do for the rest of your life'
2. What is your earliest memory'
3. If you could live in any other time, past, present, future, what would it be and why'
4. What motivates you most to go to work each day: money or personal satisfaction? If money were not an issue, would you still keep your job'
5. If you knew that tomorrow would be the last full day of your life, how would you spend the day'
6. What is your most important goal in life right now? Will your life change in some way if that goal is reached? If so, how'
7. If the people who know you best were asked, would they say you tend to be mostly predictable or unpredictable? Why? Which of these traits do you most value in a friend? Do you tend to follow a set routine or do you often do the same things differently'
8. What social situations tend to make you most flustered and nervous? Why'
9. For $10,000 would you be willing to stand up spontaneously and sing The Star Spangled Banner at the top of your lungs in the middle of a church service'
10. What are three things you would like to accomplish in the next year'
11. If you were to move to a poor, primitive country, what three things would you most miss from your current life'
12. What is the biggest lie you’ve ever told? Why? What were the consequences, if any'
13. What three things do you believe without any doubts'
14. What is one of the books (other than the Bible) that has had the greatest influence on your life? Why'
15. If God would grant you any one request, what would it be'
16. “Activity that does not result in progress toward a goal is a waste of time.” Do you agree? Is it ever OK to waste time'
17. What would you say are your 5 greatest strengths? Weaknesses'
18. Under what circumstances do you feel most lonely? Least lonely? Why'
19. What do you look forward to most about growing old? Least'
20. What traits do you think are most important to instill in your children? Why'
21. If you could relive any part of your life, what would it be and why'
22. Have either of your parents either told you they were sorry or asked your forgiveness for something? How did it make you feel'
23. What is the most difficult choice you’ve had to make in your life up to this point? Why? What factors helped you make the choice?
24. you believe God has only one perfect mate for everyone'
25. A football coach once said, “We learn almost nothing in victory, but we learn much in defeat.” Do you agree or disagree. In your life, have you learned most from failures or successes'
26. What would you most like people to remember you for after you die? What would you like written on your tombstone'
27. What is the most dangerous thing you’d like to try doing? What keeps you from doing it'
28. What are the biggest questions you have about your relationship with God'
29. What are the five things you are most thankful for in your life right now'
30. Would you say that the focus of your life right now is more on the development of relationships or on the accomplishment of goals and objectives? What would you like to change about this focus, if anything'
31. During WWII German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer participated in a conspiracy to assassinate Hitler. Although the conspiracy failed and he was executed for making the effort, do you think Bonhoeffer was right in his attempts to kill Hitler? If you had been Bonhoeffer, would you have participated in this murder conspiracy? Why or why not'
32. What was the greatest peer pressure you felt as a teen? What is the greatest peer pressure you feel as an adult? How are you handling it'
33. As a child, when you got caught doing something wrong, which of the following were you most likely to do? Blame someone else, Deny that you did it, Run and hide, Take full responsibility and accept the consequences. What are you most likely to do now as an adult'
34. Do you think people would be surprised about your thought life? How often would you be embarrassed if others knew exactly what was on your mind? Do you think your thought life is better or worse than most of the people in your circle of friends? Why'
Source unknown



My Sermons outside of My Sunday Sermons
Fun Facts of the Bible

Friday, March 28, 2008

The best things in life is free

This is one of the best thing I have ever came across.

Free top university scholarly lectures. This one is the best so far. It is the best Old Testament lessons I have ever "attended".

And I used a large part of it to teach my youths. Yes people, if you are not getting university education in your youth days, your education is shortchanging you. You may not understand all of it, but at least you are getting the real deal.

WoW30: Learn the very truth from the beginning, the unlearning later in life in not worth otherwise.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Official Jubilee Tossball Rules

Right now, I am getting everybody in church to sign up for the Jubilee Tossball League. My dream is to get everybody, young and old, to have some fun together. I think it is highly achievable because it is a simple game and yet competitive enough to those who are more athletic.

Rules:
Teams are made up of 5-7 players. 5 player teams consist players all aged 15-45, 7 player teams are all aged below 15 or above 45, while 6 player teams are 4-2 or 3-3 combinations of either age group.
There is no dribbling or running with the ball allowed. No contact allowed with the person holding the ball.
Players aged 15-45 must score from outside the red perimeter.
The team that scores more after 10 minutes of play wins.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Happy news

I have recently sold my place at Bukit Panjang and bought a new place at Clementi. Both prices are about the same but the new location will be smaller and much older. The move is to get closer to church, my in-laws and my wife's work place. I think it is a worthy sacrifice for more time with the family instead of wasting it on the road.

Which brings me to the point about providence. We bought the new place in less than 3 days, and sold ours in less than a week. Coincidence? I think not.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

The Seasons of Spirituality 属灵生活的四季

I am not prone to putting my sermons here, but this one is a submission to a Lent devotional collection and I would like to share it with my readers because it may just be the best one I've ever written.


撰写人:王晓晖牧师

经文:诗119145-176

主题:属灵生活的四季

神的启示有时像充满活力,生气勃勃的夏日。绚丽夺目,叫人情不自禁地渴望,并追求那荣美。旧约时代,这荣美主要来自神所启示的律法。难怪诗人用了超过一百句话来赞美耶和华的律法。律法之所以吸引人是因为它表达了神对人的旨意。人感觉神十分接近。不但如此,律法透露着神性,叫人可以体会到什么是真理、什么是公义、什么是永恒。我们从神的法度、训词、典章和一切命令感染其中的生命力,因而不由自主地表达爱意。我们知道这律法可靠,它必带来丰盛的平安。

但奸恶的人却远离耶和华的律法。他们的逼迫使生活就像万物凋零的秋季。重重的苦难仿佛遍地的落叶,处处都是垂死的迹象。可能是领袖们无缘无故的迫害,叫生活倍感艰难。可能是诡诈人的包围,使人的情绪烦躁、厌倦。我们憎恨他们虚伪的面孔。像那无情不断来袭的秋风,抵挡我们的越来越多。不仅是外来的苦难,生活中也难免出现灵命衰退的时刻。当人们不遵守耶和华的话语的时候,他们的生命就开始枯萎。离开神的律法,就是离开生命的源头。艰辛难熬的时候,也是落叶归根的时候。

面对死亡的威胁,诗人转向唯一的依靠。诗人向神呼求。祷告的感觉有时很像寒冬腊月。那是艰苦,孤独的等待。我们求告神垂听我们的声音。我们求告神察看我们的困境。这是人最真实的一面。有如一层白雪遮盖了所有分心的事物,在祷告中我们坦荡荡,赤裸裸的面对神。诗人八次呼叫“耶和华啊!”。这是灵命生活面临苦难时必然的感叹声。是祈求耶和华伸张正义的哀号声。诗人凄美单纯的信靠,表露无疑。但冬天也是蓄势待发的时刻,坚定无悔的信心必换来春暖花开的一天。

祷告中所盼望的,是耶和华的拯救。就像春天给万物带来新希望,耶和华的手帮助我们。因为耶和华的温暖慈爱,我们得以存活。这是耶和华浩大的怜悯。这是信实的耶和华所立下的应许。迷失了路的亡羊,有耶和华这位大牧人寻找他们。只要我们不忘记他所给于我们的启示,神的律法,我们必回到生命的道路,什么都不能绊倒我们。

亲爱的弟兄姐妹,神最完整的启示就是耶稣基督。耶稣也成全了一切律法。耶稣的死里复活是耶和华赐给我们最彻底的拯救。耶稣璀璨的一生,是我们学习爱天父爱人的榜样。耶稣不畏强权地顺服天父的旨意,是我们低档恶势力的模范。耶稣跟天父亲密的关系,提醒我们不断向神祷告。耶稣就是那为我们舍命的大牧人。让我们继续倚靠耶稣,度过我们属灵的每个春夏秋冬。

祷告:诗23

操练:在圣灵的带领下,我愿意时时读经,更认识上帝的旨意。

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Heaven's Grocery Store

I was walking down life's pathway
Not so very long ago
When I looked up and saw a sign,
Heaven's Grocery Store.

I got a little closer
And the door swung open wide.
The next thing I knew
I was standing there inside.

I saw a host of angels.
They were standing everywhere.
One handed me a basket and said,
"My child, now shop with care.'

Everything a Christian needed
Was in that Grocery Store,
And what you couldn't carry out
You could come back next day for more.

Well, first I got some patience,
Love is in the same row.
Further down was understanding.
You need those everywhere you go.

I got a box or two of wisdom
And a bar or two of faith.
You couldn't miss the Holy Ghost
He was all over the place.

I didn't forget salvation
For salvation'that was free.
I wanted to get enough of that
To save both you and me.

There was meekness, longsuffering and gentleness
I saw these at a glance.
I knew I'd better get some.
I would never have a better chance.

I stopped to get some courage
To help me run life's race.
Then my basket was getting full
And I remembered I needed grace.

Then I started for the counter
To pay my grocery bill
I thought I had most everything
To do the Father's will.

And I saw prayer,
I just had to put that in.
I knew when I stepped outside the door,
I'd run right into sin.

Source Unknown

Friday, February 15, 2008

This comes to you via a miracle

A miracle occurred in that I finished my sermon early. I am going to post this tip that I knew for a long time, and one that I find truly helpful.

Check this out. This is a good idea for married couples.

I think it can be used for cell groups and other occasions as well.

WoW29: It only takes a few seconds to make a day better, and a day to make a year better. Do it!

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Personal update

On this very strange day, I have time. I hope you, my dear readers would talk to me.

Last year was a wonderful year of learning. It felt that I have lived through a decade and transformed into a man. I like myself and I believe in what I am doing. I could return to the Lord like this. Life is at a bittersweet moment that is just right.

Now, I just need more time, more life and more from God. I am not saying this because I am greedy, but truly it feels great to be really living.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

I have a dream

I am totally inspired by this. Let's all do it.

I have a dream.

I have a dream that the church will be in unity in support with one another, and in work and evangelism to the world.

I have a dream that we can accept one another in authenticity and serve the ministries with humility and joy.

I have a dream that we will enjoy learning, and yearn to express the truth with beauty and a compassionate heart.

I have a dream that we will all work together to bring back the lost, and to cherish what we have now.

Past it on, and leave a comment if you will.