Invisible Footprints

An inevitable discussion..

2005-04-01T00:30:00.000+10:00

This April i will devote most of my time looking up on cults, false teachings and its affiliations, its concepts, ideas, and methods of manifestations of our minds. The enemy is intangible and the battlefield are our minds. Alot is going on, alot are proclaiming, and it seems to me in the midst of all the progression and advancements taking place globally has blinded many people or robbed people of their time to really care and address what on earth is going on. I will draw upon many works of other people, as well as the Bible, for that is where we Christians should resort to FIRST, in ALL circumstances.

It's inevitable that we must debate issues like this, or things like stem cell research and Terry Schiavo. The times now would mark divides in Christianity become more apparent, the notion that religion is a bothersome hindrance to the progression of mankind, and the love and peace with which Satan masquerades himself and his hidden agenda will loom upon this world with delight and ascend upon our futile minds.

I won't know for sure how long will i blog on these topics as being in April now, time is a rare commodity. I've got exams and assignments pouring in this month, and i'll spend whatever time i can afford on blogging.

Quake hits off Indonesia

2005-03-29T03:17:00.000+10:00

CNN.com reports:

An earthquake measuring a preliminary magnitude of 8.2 struck off the coast of Indonesia today -- on the same fault line that originated a December 26 earthquake that launched a deadly tsunami. The director of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said scientists there feared another tsunami might hit the area. "There is a potential for some wave activity," said Julie Martinez, a geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center.

Please pray for the people in those areas, pray for their lives and for early anticipation of what ought to happen for measures to be taken in areas affected.

Happy Easter

2005-03-28T04:26:00.000+10:00

"For in due time, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. For God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself." - Romans 5:6

Happy easter everyone! It sure is a nice weekend to be heading out here and there. We've lightsped our way all the way to the end of March now and it sure is refreshing to come across a significant weekend to reflect upon. But what are we reflecting about in this day?

Easter is a day to remember the glory and triumph of Christ over Satan and our sins. His resurrection puts him on the right side of our Heavenly Father's throne interceding for us and building the bridge by which we would walk to heaven. We are reconciled to the God who seeks to know us personally by the blood of Christ. Lest we slack and take things for granted...

For life is not a bed of roses, and after Jesus had been crucified and subsequently resurrected, his teachings have not died. He had came down to die for our sins, and left us with teachings that we should abide by, for obedience is greater than sacrifice. Let Easter serve to us a reminder for the troubles that Jesus had to go through in order to save us from eternal damnation, and not deviate far away from the Word.

Let us not wander astray for Satan has not given up hope to reclaim our souls. I need not remind the state of this world that we live in, which masks Satan's hidden agenda.

But one which perhaps does not seem so hidden afterall yet sinister enough to convince us that Satan does know where to start is this story.

A Christian leader—we’ll call him Steve —was traveling recently by plane. He noticed that the man sitting two seats over was thumbing through some little cards and moving his lips. The man looked professorial with his goatee and graying brown hair, and Steve placed him at fifty-something. Sure the man was a fellow-believer, Steve leaned over to engage him in conversation.
“Looks to me like you’re memorizing something,” he said.

“No, actually I was praying,” the man said.

Steve introduced himself. “I believe in prayer too,” he said.

“Well, I have a specific assignment,” said the man with the goatee.

“What’s that?” Steve asked.

“I’m praying for the downfall of Christian pastors.”

“I would certainly fit into that category,” Steve said. “Is my name on the list?”

“Not on my list,” the man replied.

Common Ground, Vol. 10 No. 7

Source: http://www.bible.org/illus.asp?topic_id=386

Now how could we all Christians slack amidst such devotion into bringing down our leaders? The thought of this is scary, but it's just one of many ways we are being edged out. Easter is a time to celebrate, but we cannot afford to be negligent and underestimate Satan.

Know that a 3-inch tongue can kill a 6-foot man

2005-03-27T05:39:00.000+10:00

Pummkin said:

With reference to my previous post; Apply Matthew 18.

When you speak in truth & sincerity, you are doing out of love not of spite. We are called to set ourselves apart to stand in the gap & pray for the oppressed, the sick & the needies. Why then, do we need to be concerned with the behaviours of many, who serve not to edify you but to bring you down with thoughts of criticism, judgment & condemnation? God did say that vengeance was His. We give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. There is so much power in the words that proceed from our mouths. Remember God spoke & the world came into being. If we are made in the image of Him, how much more can these words bring forth? Especially when we have the Christ living within us? How much more could we proclaim if we do not proclaim in the name of Jesus?

This comment was made by pummkin under the comments section of my previous post "This is the way with some of us" which i found extremely encouraging.

This is the way with some of us

2005-03-15T22:19:00.000+11:00

This is quite a commentary. A bold uncompromising Christian living beside compromisers speaking his mind. and the truth too might i add.

For your convenience, if you don't feel like clicking the link, this is the part i really like from the article:

"The problem with the progressive wing of today’s Church is not that the devil makes us do bad things - “smoke, drink, chew or go with boys/girls who do” - but that we are so damnably quiet, so status quo subservient in our niceness, that we ignore the Spirit’s leading and play patsy with the most seductive temptation of all: namely, to go along in order to get along, which is natural for us and all human beings, given the innate hunger for bread, power and entitlement all of us harbor." - Joseph Sprague

It's not Greek nor is it hard to understand what implication this paragraph serves to show. It is true that people value companionship with high regards, that some people would go a certain distance for friend. At times for us as Christians, it goes beyond what we are supposed to do. We compromise, we keep quiet, we stand back, stand still, tremble, we ignore, we contemplate, we question ourselves, we accept, and we allow the feeling of being accepted to forge ahead of our priorities in life.

Don't misinterpret me. I am not asking people to sever any ties with people who do not share the same views or hold the same beliefs as you. But rather to speak up, aloud of Christ and do not be ashamed of Him who is greater than all of us. Why do some of us profess our faiths so timidly as without regards for the Saviour who purchased our souls with blood? Why do we keep the knowledge that Jesus came down to save us from eternal flames to ourselves?

Our Bible is being defiled, our rights to voice as Christians are being limited, the Bible is being disregarded with many of people's own interpretations and yet our community is so damnably quiet. It's like we're sitting here basking in all the pleasures and glories of this world, forgetting we serve a sovereign God. If we sit tightly and quietly too long, we risk losing our voice to voice out the truth later on.

Easter is near. Take a friend to church, or go out as a family and rekindle the REAL significance of Easter. Speak out, and let us all rededicate our dicipleship and follow after Him all the days of our lives.

Isn't God supposed to make life easy and cool?

2005-03-02T21:17:00.000+11:00

Isn't going to church and worshipping God supposed to make everything easy and cool?

Apparently not. I'm perhaps echoing the sentiments of many bloggers out there, who seem unfulfilled by church-going. Who desperately tries to find 'home' in churches, who are deeply affected by people who are fake but appear in church all the time, who wonder what in the world is going on with their lives.

I'll say that perhaps if feelings such as these follow you wherever you go, it's good (im not crazy/stupid). It probably means that many are genuine in their search for God, trying to use hope and faith to seek Him. Obviously we all hope we would be able to go to a church we are comfortable with and we step into church with faith, believing God has set the right path for us. But the emptiness sets in, the feeling of devoid in the people around you sets in, the hypocrisy of the congregation sets in.

This i believe is implanted by none other than the Devil himself. The eternal liar and the father of lies. The Devil is cunning in all its schemes. He takes advantage of your desperations of looking for a church, the emptiness you feel inside. He creates negativity in your mind and your thinking about the church. He takes advantage of our confusions, and fused them with lies. Although i must not attribute everything to the Devil, i believe, if you were genuine about going to church you WILL face temptations not to go, you WILL meet people you wished you hadn't known.

It is simply illogical that the path to the Kingdom of God would be a smooth one, for why would Satan allow you to get to know God better so easily? Why would he not tempt you? Why would he not try to confuse you? Why would he not try to make you feel empty? Why would he, out of all the perils he can bring to you, not find something to inflict upon you and hinder you from experiencing the great joy of going to church? I might add that the decay of churches of the world is not something many Christians themselves would freely admit. We have to pray harder than ever for our churches to stay together, to stay in the Light and to preach the word.

If we weren't really genuine (not going for the sake of going, or to boast, or to feel good, or to give yourself a chance to sin since God would forgive my sins when i ask him to) about going to church and building relationships with God, treating church like a Sunday morning activity, that is all we're ever going to get. Appointments in church but nothing much more than that. Life in church would be easy and cool, but unfulfilling.

Bear in mind that life as a Christian is not easy. If we were earnestly seeking God, life would be hell. Satan would present to you hell at its highest temperatures. If we were walking in line with the world, there is no need for Satan to make life a living hell because we've got an eternity of hell to look forward to anyway.

So let me reiterate that it's normal for life to be hell. You just have to stand firm, hold strongly and deflect all the negativities about the church from your mind. If you still consciously have doubts, don't give up, just try another church and pray harder. God listens. And yes, God does make life easy and cool, but we often underestimate the existence of Satan and how he can manipulate us just like he did with Eve (and Adam) and make life hell, confusing, depressing and empty.

Ways God uses problems

2005-03-01T00:19:00.000+11:00

Five Ways God Uses Problems :-

The problems you face will either defeat you or develop you - depending on how you respond to them. Unfortunately, most people fail to see how God wants to use problems for good in their lives. They react foolishly and resent their problems rather than pausing toconsider what benefit they might bring. Here are five ways God wants to use the problems in your life:

1. God uses problems to DIRECT you. Sometimes God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God trying to get your attention? "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

2. God uses problems to INSPECT you. People are like tea bags... if you want to know what's inside them, just drop them into hot water! Has God tested your faith with a problem? What do problems reveal about you? "When you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience."James 1:2-3

3. God uses problems to CORRECT you. Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It's likely that as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But you probably learned by being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something by losing it. "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes." Psalm 119:72

4. God uses problems to PROTECT you. A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being harmed by something more serious. Last year a friend was fired for refusing to do something unethical that his boss had asked him to do. His unemployment was a problem - but it saved him from being convicted and sent to prison a year later when management's actions were eventually discovered. "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good" Genesis 50:20

5. God uses problems to PERFECT you. Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Your relationship to God and your character are the only two things you're going to take with you into eternity. "We can rejoice when we run into problems... they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady." Romans 5:3-4

Here's the point: God is at work in your life - even when you don't recognize it or understand it. But it's so much easier when you surrender to his plan for your life.

God Bless You

Note: this was taken from an email forwarded to me, and i wish to note that i am not the original author.

Where does adultery begins?

2005-02-21T23:44:00.000+11:00

"Do you not understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." Matthew 15:17-20

Adultery, like sex, is beginning to lose its meaning, opting for a more literal sense of the word. Sex, is regarded as a fun activity, something for any man or woman in love (even love now has many meanings) or even not in love but are fond of each other's looks/physical attributes. It's pleasurable, in the case of some women, validation (as i've learnt from watching Sex & the City, something of it that i will post both here and skitzels). Sex can be communication, speaking of adoration or love. But mostly, sex is the course of action by which a man inserts his penis into a woman's vagina.

Matthew 19:9 quotes Jesus saying, "And i say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexuals immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."

When does adultery occurs in the definition of our society?

I have read in some blogs of experiences of being cheated, the various circumstances in which they tell of it. Some consider fondling, the holding of hands to be a form of adultery. Some say not until they have sex. One particularly dubious one, when i asked him if he considered oral sex with a married woman to be adulterous, was that he said, no. And after that, i asked him if your wife had oral sex with another man then, he answered "YES".

There were some who said that if they lied to them and went to see another woman, it was adulterous behavious. Those reactions above are mainly by women, unless noted otherwise. When i asked some guys, it was ever only about physical confrontation. They can give group hugs, not one-on-one hugs, look eye-to-eye but not touch. No fondling. No sex. But they wanna have physical confrontation with others, wishing for women to be ultra tolerant.

And i read with dismay, how certain couples resort to using fantasizing other people to enhance the 'effect' of their sex lives. How during sex with her partner, that a woman would dream about another guy doing his thing with her and vice versa. How much of this action constitute adultery? (many sex therapists actually encourage this, bothers me to no ends)

Pornography. I've read many a times in CLEO mag (reading off my gf's mags) about confused women who write in to tell that they found their boyfriends or husbands watching porn, having porn, or downloading porn, stacking porn mags somewhere safe and etc. But they cannot decide for sure, where does the adultery begin?

Quoting from healthynewage:

"For the male, desire and arousal may begin by just the sight of a beautiful woman. As any man can tell you, love at first sight can happen - men respond incredibly to visual stimuli."

It happens. I believe it happens all the time, to both man and woman. We are sub-consciously eternal sinners, and consciously tempted every second of our life. But God has this to say to us:

With men, this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

The answer to the question posed in the topic lies in Matthew 5:27-32 which reads:

27 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.'
28 "But i say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already commited adultery with her in his heart.
29 "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
30 "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
31 "Furthermore it has been said, "Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'
32 "But i say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery."

Even Jesus can't please everybody!

2005-02-11T09:24:00.000+11:00

While on my way to my uncle's house (mother's brother), had a brief discussion about church, the length of services and about pastors with my mum and HER aunt (my mother's mother's sister).

My mum was quoting of how her aunt reacted when my mum said that the service was 2 hours, gasping, "wah so long ar, come out earlier la, my church sermon 10 mins only."

But as she sat there, she was so taken aback by the message ministered to her that when the sermon finally concluded, she went, "so fast over already?"

Mum went on to quote her about the whole time in church, how she said she'll walk out in the middle of the sermon or so, sceptical about the preaching and all. After it was all over, she felt as if God had ministered to her through the pastor, and she kept wanting to go back for more.

I liked my church pastor; he talks lots of sense at times, and while some people thinks he's quoting the Bible in his own way, i'll assume that God is working marverlous works through him.

I told my grand-aunt, "Even though we sing praises about the pastor, i still know of some people bashing his style, his preaching and his interpretation of God's Word. Some find themselves outgrowing what pastors have to say about how to live life." (something i feel is a shame, how could one outgrow God's word, or outgrow living in the light of His Word)

My aunt, coming out of her stride of using Manglish, said, "The church will always have its doubters. But what can a pastor do? He can only preach so much on a Sunday. Let's face it, no one can please everybody. Not even Jesus! Even Jesus couldn't please everybody!"

I pondered, and had nothing but to agree. Yes, Jesus was perfect, yet some people were dissatisfied with Him. What more could we want?

Then we talked about persecution and trials, the molding and the journeys. How we often take for granted and think that life is good. We forget that with the persecution, comes the molding and then the end product. But people think that, "No lah.. I go to church all is well, no persecution and sufferings in walking in the Lord's directions."

And my grand-aunt, again, made some sense when she said, "Satan even dared to tempt Jesus, to send people to persecute him and torture him, what more us? If he dared to try to persecute Jesus, why would he not want to do the same unto us?"

Walking in Christ is not easy, and the journey is long and winding. All i can count on is to walk close enough to Jesus, and with Him and through Him, all things are possible.

A reminder for moving

2005-02-10T10:13:00.000+11:00

Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecies spoken to you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right, and God will save you and those who hear you. (1 Tim 4:14-16 NLT)

Prayer
LORD, I know that You have a purpose for my life and I want to recognize and appreciate the gifts you have given me to accomplish it. When I feel so pressured by the demands on my time and for my attention, help me to focus on the things that are truly important,especially my relationship with You, which is the most important of all. In Jesus' name, Amen.

I think this has some particular meaning for me, as i'm 2 days away from moving to Sydney, starting all over in a new environment and country, that i should not stray away from God. It's so easy to be lazy and stop seeking God in a new place, that this email from E-min ( a daily subcription to verses and prayers that we could use, read about my post here ) has reminded me to constantly walk in obedience.

Dear Father, I will no doubt have to find a church for me in Sydney, and if anyone knows of one, pls feel free to let me know. I pray that the Lord will guide me, and minister to me and help me find a church i can belong to for a year. Help me to juggle the many areas of my life, and keep things well balanced, from my studies to family and relationships. Also, bless all those around me in Malaysia, my family and friends and especially Jamie, my dearest who i will leave behind, that we both would cope well being apart. Hinder us from constant misunderstandings and arguments, and instead lend support and encouragement to one another.

And remind me, when i'm straying away from the light, that i should roam in darkness, that You will lead me back. In Jesus' name, Amen.

A pastor with guts***

2005-02-08T04:11:00.000+11:00

***This here is a prayer by a Christian pastor, concerned with the state of this world and thereby praying with reference to Christian doctrines. If you are not a believer, please refrain from taking this as a form of condemnation or condemning people's beliefs.***

When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and call it Pluralism. We have worshiped other gods and called it Multiculturalism.We have endorsed perversion and called it Alternative Lifestyle. We have exploited the poor and called it the Lottery. We have rewarded laziness andcalled it Welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it Choice. We have shot abortionists and called it Justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it Building Self-Esteem. We have abused power and called it Politics. We have coveted our neighbour’s possessions and called it Ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it Freedom of Expression. We have ridiculed the time-honoured values of our forefathers and called it Enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and Bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the centre of Your Will. We ask it in the Name of Your Son, the living Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Amen."

The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest.

In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea.

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story," and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "one nation under God."

A testimony

2005-02-05T08:00:00.000+11:00

We know that 80% of the town of Meulaboh in Aceh was destroyed by the. Tsunami waves and 80% of the people also died. This is one of the towns that was hit the hardest.

But there is a fantastic testimony from Meulaboh. In that town are about 400 Christians.

They wanted to celebrate Christmas on December 25th but were not allowedto do so by the Muslims of Meulaboh. They were told if they wanted to celebrate Christmas they needed to go outside the city of Meulaboh on a high hill and there celebrate Christmas.

Because the Christians desired to celebrate Christmas the 400 believersleft the city on December 25th and after they celebrated Christmas they stayed overnight on the hill.

As we all know the morning of December 26 there was the earthquake followed by the Tsunami waves destroying most of the city of Meulaboh and thousands were killed. The 400 believers were on the mountain and were all saved from destruction.

Now the Muslims of Meulaboh are saying that the God of the Christians punished us for forbidding the Christians from celebrating Christmas inthe city. Others are questioning why so many Muslims died while not even one of the Christians died there.

Had the Christians insisted on their rights to celebrate Christmas in the city, they would have all died. But because they humbled themselves and followed the advice of the Muslims they all were spared destruction and can now testify of God's marvelous protection.

This is a testimony of the grace of God and the fact that as believers we have no rights in the world. Our right is to come before God and commit our lives to Him. Our right is kneeling down before the Lord almighty and commit our ways to Him. He is our Father and is very capable to care for His children. Praise the Name of the Lord.

Bill Hekman, Pastor Calvary Life Fellowship in Indonesia.

Soul food

2005-02-03T22:38:00.000+11:00

A man asked a Christian man, "You've been going to church for the last 30 years, do you ever fully remember a single sermon?"

And the Christian man answered. "No, i go to church every Sunday, but truth to tell i can't fully recite to you a sermon preached by the pastor."

So the man asked, "30 years of going to church seem to be in vain i suppose? Were you sleeping?"

The Christian man replied, "No, i was not sleeping. I've been married for 25 years, ate close to 30,000 meals my wife cooked, but i can't remember for the life of me, what my wife cooked for breakfast, lunch and dinner the day before. But what i do know however, is that whatever my wife cooked, i ate with delight, knowing that it nourishes me, fills my hunger and appetite. My wife's cooking has never failed to satisfy me."

He continued, "And the same with my church. Over 30 years, i've listened to more than 1500 sermons, none of which i can fully remember, yet each and every one of these sermons has never failed to encourage me, lift me, inspire me, and nourish me. It fills my spirit with God's wisdom and strength, takes away all disappointment and despair, and provide me with ample courage to share my overflowing cup with others who needed encouragement. God has never left my spirit hungry or my heart heavy, because there is always someone next to me who needs encouragement from my overflowing cup."

What a blessing! And so many times, when God has called upon us to share his Word, we have often failed and shy-ed away from expanding his Kingdom. Sometimes, when we seem to carry heavy hearts, all we need is God's grace to lift us, to give us the courage to share ourselves and our lives with others, that we may be a beacon and light for the world. We should know that life is full of problems, (coming out from your mother's womb was the first major problem) and that God is always here to deliver us from it, and in return we should all share of the goodness of God.

If we think we have the capacity to solve all our problems, we carry with us all the burden of solving all future troubles by ourselves. But if we realise that it is God who carries us during the troubled times in our lives, we see the goodness of God and feel obliged that we share it with everyone. Let us be the light of the world!

If God was at the pulpit

2005-02-02T23:55:00.000+11:00

Christians have a way with spending Sundays; we go to church, listen to the pastor preach whatever he has to say. Catholics go to a 'mass', where they have Holy Communion and listen to the priest speak words of wisdom. But how receptive are we to God's word? Just how much of God's word do we hear and nod about in church, agreeing, yet not practicing?

To some extent, we're all consumers in the church. We feed off sermons, music by the band, altar helpers, usherers, etc. Sometimes we're a part of it, sometimes we're not. We appreciate our pastors when they encourage us. Validate them when they don't. We seem to forget, no matter how anointed someone in the church is, they are still human. We hate labels and denominations ourselves, yet labelling exists in every inch of society, including within the labels and denominations in the churches.

We have hypocrites, Christians behaving like non-Christians, uptight Christians, Sunday morning Christians, evangelical Christian, backslidden Christian, American Christian, Malaysian Christian. Pastors can be insightful, encouraging, fake, articulate (or vice versa), blessed, and most interestingly i've seen, a CEO of the church. Perhaps i do not speak of everyone or anyone in particular, but subconsciously, we all have made our own judgments on things and each have their own perceptions of the things around them.

We all play a part in the superficiality of this world. We know what a pastor should do. And when he does it wrong, we barrage him. With the congregation, we know what to do, and when we see peers doing it wrong, we get all negative about the entire church. Are we not suppose to be in church to worship God?

If pastors began to be pushy, strict, boring and keep calling for more offerings and tithing, should we all leave? If God was at the pulpit, what do we do?

God has a purpose for you, and everything. It's amazing how we would all think and react different if only God was at the pulpit. But how often do we lament about pastors, congregations and the church as a whole? Try to understand that perhaps behind the grandness of a pastor standing on the pulpit looking at you, preaching, that maybe his CEO likeness may be required to run a church nowadays. We are in an increasingly dark and uncertain age, where the difference between good and evil is just a fine line. And God's people, whether doing good or evil will be dealt with individually. And who said that Christian life is easy? The Devil is looking for weaknesses in you to exploit, that you may succumb to him.

If God wishes to speak to you, all you need to do is listen. Worship bands do not play for you, they play for God. We sing praises and worship with our voices not for neighbours, pastors, people but for God. We give because we first receive, and how do we, recipients, outgive the giver? How do we outgive God? Pastors have sermons to deliver, but it is God who prepares the message, and the message you ought to receive, is only from God Himself. Pastors only have words. You can do nothing about it. But i tell you that God always has something special to say to us, to remind us, to guide us.

And if God showed himself on the pulpit, how inspired would you be? How much do you see yourself, your thoughts, words and reaction change? Would you listen more carefully, pray harder, sing louder, give more? Just because a pastor is human, doesn't mean God is not with him, working through him. Weaving His brilliance on him (or her) trying hard to break down the barrier in our minds. And wishing for us to leave all our worries behind, all our negativities and concentrate solely on God.

Where would you be, when God shows himself on the pulpit?

An everyday prayer.

2005-02-02T06:58:00.000+11:00

As i open my Gmail account everyday, i seem to get an alert everyday from Mon - Fri. Since i've been busy blogging here and there, dropping lines everywhere, i ignored those alerts. And so as i opened to check and clear some emails, i click on one mail which titled "Today's Seed from E-MIN".

I clearly remember that i did not sign up for something like this. I thought it was spam. It turned out to be a message, an everyday free message provided by E-Min with a passage from the Bible, and a response that we might use as a prayer. It was clearly my mum's doing.

She took my email and sign up for me. It's obvious my mum knows me too well, that i would wake up in the morning, find myself rushing for time, cursing drivers who drive too slow that i will forget to pray until i sleep, and by then, i would be a little tired at times and fall asleep while praying. i like prayers to be long chats, rather than a formal prayer. But i do have chats with God throughout the day when i'm alone. If i'm ever alone.

How often it is, that busy lives, schedules, work, play, friends, partners, to have bits of your time, that we neglect Jesus and talking to him? And how often do we read the Bible? I guess E-Min would be a good way to do both, even if it is just random passages in the Bible. But i found the prayer to be very helpful, to serve as a reminder, to have the Lord letting you know that he is here and in control. I opened the email, dating back to 26th January and here is the passage and the subsequent response for us.

Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of theLORD. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turnfrom evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (Psa 34:11-14 NIV)

Prayer: LORD, I know that there may be times when I cannot be atpeace with everyone because not everyone may be seeking peace, andtheir choices and actions can influence situations just like mine.But help me to always seek peace first, and when seeking peace andpursuing it requires a compromise of what I feel or want, help me tosurrender those feelings and desires to You, and trust that it honorsYou and strengthens our relationship when I do. In Jesus' name, Amen.

I love my mum. She's the greatest. Thank God for my mum!

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God's exceedingly abundant grace

2005-02-01T08:24:00.000+11:00

It's been more than a month since the tsunami hit South Asia on Boxing day. It is easy for us at home to blog, talk, read, discuss, think, joke or anything about it, since we were all very lucky to have enough money to have a home not along any of the coasts that were hit.

Yes, i feel lucky that i am not affected. I still have my hands and legs to carry me around and make a better day. I am happy i'm alive every minute of my life. But most of all, i thank God that my family too is here. I believe that any individual who lives near enough to affected areas must be thanking God for not being involved in such an epic destruction.

But how could one deal with a situation when God preserves you, but not your entire family? How do we react when God saves you, but only to go on without your family? Would we still be in church singing praises to the Lord, thanking God for saving me? Are we still capable of feeling blessed for the Lord spared you? Where do we find emotion and courage to withstand something as painful as this?

In Job!

Job lost 10 children, wealth and cattle all in a day. In modern times, that would call for immediately psychological treatment before the attempted suicides that would take place. Today, if i lost 10 children, i would die. Inside and outside. I will go insane. I will curse God. I think i would. I will lose it all; my mind, heart, body, faith and soul. It is improbable that one could recover on his own strength. If all close to you were swept away but you, you'll wished to be swept away as well.

We will question the timing of God, the timing of the disaster, the nature of it, why me and my family, why did this had to happen? All we would think of is why. Which is of course natural. Why is often easier to ask than how. Easier to absorb and execute. How is never an easy task. It takes effort. Cursing God is much easier.

But if we knew Job, who he was and HOW he overcame the tragedies of his life, we would know that there is still hope if we believe so. When everyone would have turned away and cast God through a series of tongue-lashing, screaming and senseless bashing, he still asked why, and how. Job was a blameless man. He was obedient, yet suffered in a test which he knew not of. He still obeyed God when his wife was turning against God.

He chose not to curse God. He accepted it. I never thought of something more tragic than losing 10 children in one go, which i think can be used as a modern metaphor for the very meaning of today's lives (since there is hardly families with 10 children anymore). To lose them all, is perhaps to lose all meaning in your life. We have no direction, the things that satisfies us are no longer useful.

But God's grace and mercy is overwhelmingly abundant. Job kept believe in his faith, in God that he would be deliver from all this madness. At the very down point of his life, he remain true and faithful to God. Not many of us are able to do this, but as Job have done, so can we i believe. It's hard when the battle is in the mind and intangible.

Persevere, and wait for God's timing, for we only have watches to know and measure time, but God has been watching for all eternity. For all Job endure, he was blessed exceedingly, exceeding what he had before, and everything was restored due to his faithfulness to the Lord.

I know all this is easier said than done, but, somehow we all have to endure and persevere through the darkest moments of our lives. We ought to remain faithful and surely goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our lives.

However difficult the circumstance, know that God is always watching and is never late. Easier said than done, but do keep in mind, the volatilities of a human heart. Let God be in control.

The fear of human rather than God.

2005-01-31T08:20:00.000+11:00

Perhaps the notion of a God-fearing person could be interpreted in many ways. Many of us are afraid of a great deal. Challenges, taunts, competitions, breaking bad news, exams, and etc. But it occured to me in church today that another underrated form of a fear is the fear to proclaim God, to worship him, to lift your heart and voices to him, to tell other people of the Gospel because you are worried what your friend next to you might think or say about you..

Christians are challenged to be fruitful in all aspects of our lives. So i stood with my friend in church today, about 10 mins late going in, find a spot where both of us are blocking the view of a girl behind us in the pews, while the session of praise and worship was on. And i found myself, being comfortable all my life being in church and sitting alone all the time, even if my family was together we'll all sit in diff areas and talk about it later during lunch, to be slightly vainly aware that my friend of many years here was next to me, lips unable to catch the rhythm of the music.

I sang. I like singing. Praise and worship is the best part of going to church. I normally sing out loud. Mostly, loud enough that i could hear myself some times. And i like it. I like singing very much in fact. I didn't care what people thought of my voice, but i always thought i had some decent ability. But in the midst of being here with my good friend, i found that i couldn't sing as loud or hard as i would normally do.

How many times has that feeling come to haunt you? The fear of people saying some odd stuff about you. I guess it's the mind games of the devil. But being consciously aware that someone is looking and deciphering what exactly are you doing can feel really distressing. By the time i had myself ready to open up and be bold, the worship session was over. Why did i fear what my friend has to say instead of fearing what God might feel about me?

The message today was about God's grace though. His grace is immense, and the reason why i am able to blog about my inabilities, since i know that God will give me the courage the next time i feel this way again.

Churches of the world

2005-01-30T09:16:00.000+11:00

It was a divine calling from God for us to keep Sunday idle for him, that we may spend some time communicating or talking to God, praying. We do not go to church to make judgments of how good a speaker the pastor is. Neither do we go there to meet our friends. Church is not the place to enhance reputations. Church is not just a feel good place. Church is not a place you go on the way to somewhere else.

Church is a place where we give thanks to God, worship him, sing praises and let God speak to you. Though i will say that God can speak to you any other day, but this is the day you reserve for him, nevermind the other days if you are busy.

Some people brand other people hypocrites in church, believing they distort the idea of a church-goer, lurking everywhere, and discouraging other church-goers. I have known of people who stopped going to church because they someone they knew who was giving hell on earth to someone they knew was present in church. "How could someone who gives hell to people be in church and profess to be a Christian? No better than a non-Christian," people would think. Do not be shaken. Do not pass judgment lest you be judged as well. Being a Christian simply means 'believing in Christ as in the Bible.' Though you call yourself a Christian and carry Christ's banner on you, does not mean your soul belongs in heaven.

And why would the judging of other people persuade you to leave the church or pass your own judgment of the church?

God will deal with people in his own way, in his own timing. Too many times we want the timing to be our own. But what do we know? We cannot see the future. If Satan sits in church, do we leave? Don't we allow the Devil to control the church when all that's left in the church are the hypocrites?

Do not fall into Satan's lies and deception. He is capable of great many things. He can conceive thoughts of deceit, anger, hate, lust, envy in our minds and we need the Jesus to guide us. The decay of the church is already happening from within we just do not acknowledge it, since it is so subtle. Know that Satan is subtle in his craft, extremely careful, and could overpower any human. Pray and do not procrastinate. God bless.

How long is your church service?

2005-01-30T08:22:00.000+11:00

How long is your church service? i remember being asked this question some time ago by a friend of mine. So i said, "2 hours."

"Wah so long one ar!" he yelled.

"2 hours is pretty normal. Half an hour praise & worship, 45 - 60 mins for preaching, last half hour or so, prayer & announcments."

"He speak for so long? what he talk about? Like seminar only."

I didnt react too much to it at the time. But it did strike me later on, the fact that, in our busy lives, we can't even spare 2 hours for God. Even a movie is 2 hours. A meal and a shower could take up half of that time. I wont tell whether that friend of mine is a Christian or not, though i reckon he wouldn't know about me and this blog.

I must say that how long the service is should not be a matter of great concern. But ultimately, we have to clear our conscience and speak to ourselves, as we walk through the door and join the rest of the congregration we must know of our objective of coming to church. Was it to make it a feel good Sunday, signalling all is well, not too much troubles in sight, so i can make time for God? Or a terrible week, signalling i should come here and beg on my knees for something i want?

Sick of Xmas comments

2005-01-29T21:38:00.000+11:00

At 4:22 PM, Dory said...

The X in Xmas is not our letter X. It is the Greek letter Chi (pronounced like key), which looks like our X. It is the letter that Christ begins with in the Greek and it has been used for centuries as an abbreviation or symbol for Christ--not just in English, but in all the languages of Christendom. It was never meant to be disrespectful. It was quite common until fairly recently to abbreviate the word Christian as Xian.

At 1:58 AM, kItttttt said...

perhaps this may be the source of your comments. while i will not contest the validation of history, i somehow believe that there have been an air of cynicality during which writers/philosophers/linguist decided on abbrevating Christ with an X. Hell must be LOL at the abbrevation of a name of such significance with an X or a Greek letter in the English language, where 1000 years later, when everything is arbitrary and contestable, people would be confused by the significance of the original name and the abbrevation itself.

I still believe in putting the Christ back into Christmas (although i admit the information asymmetry on my part), since the abbrevation has its meaning drowned in history and its significance is belongs to Greek.

My First Post comments

2005-01-29T21:20:00.000+11:00

Since i just a little lazy to explore how to recover back the comments section after installing haloscan comments i'll repost some of the comments that have been made here.

My first post comments:

At 3:11 AM, Kamigoroshi said...

God rants to us on Sunday?
Hehe...:)
I think God talks to us all the time not just in the Books. It's whether or not any of us are open minded enough to pay attention that makes all the difference.

At 3:22 AM, turntable eel said...

I don't want to just come a hate on God but how can anyone follow a story to base your views of the world and moral opinions. How do you feel about abortions?

At 5:09 AM, Vicky, Let The Night Fall said...

I don't think God rants on Sunday/ Saturday...God loves us, He always wants to talk to us, communicate with us ALL THE TIME. But a lot of times, we are the people who did not put God first.

If sorrow or joy comes, who is the first person we connect with?Ourselves? Husband? Wife? Bf? Gf? Friends??? When is God's turn?
I think I'd learn saying, "Praise you, Jesus"...
Something for us to ponder....

At 8:41 AM, kItttttt said...

i must've made a mistake. I did not mean God rants. But God surely wants us to listen. And he listens. sorry bout that.

a side note. i have read stuff on abortions before, about them pro-life and pro-choice, about how the pro-life would burn abortion clinics in the US. How they curse those pro-life advocates like barbarians.

It was ultimately your own decision, something that you did, whether you impulsely decided on it, or thought about having sex very carefully, the fact of the matter is that you made a choice to make/potentially make her pregnant.

Now, it is in my believe/religion however you want to put it, sex is something that should be saved up for marriage. You have sex with someone you love, and married. Legally however, you are permitted otherwise since there is no statute anywhere which governs something like this.
But through our own discernment, through our own wisdom, we acted in a way which we believed, satisfies our physical body. We consciously know of the consequences. What is there to be pro-choice or pro-life about when it was our own mistake?

You screw around, you pay the price. Aborting or keeping the baby is a price to pay. You don't have to google up on abortion i'm sure you know the side effects. Psychology, physical (i.e nausea), emotional issues are needed to be addressed as well thanks to abortion. I'm not sure what empirical evidence is present regarding the subject of future pregnancies but i believe abortion greatly reduces your chances of it.

Knowing all this, we still pretentiously argue of a subject like this when we should know better. You already know prevention is better than cure. But where is the common sense?

As a Christian, we are forewarned of the potential detrimental effects and consequences of sex before marriage and are thus discouraged(for a choice of a less stern word) rebuked from such an action. Hence, there was never a case of abortion for religion to answer to.

Just a thought, don't mean to sound harsh and all;Does abortion remedies the potential detriments of sex before marriage?

how we live life, what we believe in, who do we trust, what do we do is all a matter of choice. I'm just here to share my thoughts.

Sick of X'mas.

2005-01-28T20:41:00.000+11:00

Yes, i know Christmas is over about a month now. But i still can't get over the fact that people all around call it X'mas. As if the birth of Christ itself is a sin, or marking him with a variable X. Well he is special, with a virgin birth and all, but X?

Am i an Xtian too? See Christian is derived from Christ, and we replace Christ in Christmas with an X, what do i call myself?

Did you know that Christmas was coined as a politically correct term? X, as in the instance of a mathematical variable was used to denote a single particular deity and risk offending other religions, where any deity can represent X.

Pluralism - The belief that multiple religions or secular world views are all legitimate and valid. Each is "true" when viewed from within its own culture.
Source: www.religioustolerance.org/gl_p.htm

Yet if each is "true", where's the risk? Where do we run the risk of offending people if all is true? Foolhardy it is, that we should avoid offending people not believing, yet call my saviour (possibly everyone's saviour) X. Buddha didn't receive X. So did Saibaba. Though they are antithetical to the Christian doctrine of monotheism, instead of showing respect to the believers of Christ, we have to settle on our God's birthday and Xday, or Xmas. Let's celebrate Xday/Xmas by selling things nothing related to X at all. (i guess the excessive commercialism wasn't so excessive this year)

Although we preach of a monotheistic God, i don't think we condemned other religions to the point where an X denotes one of their gods. I wouldn't have gods of other religion being codenamed like an endangered species. We do preach of idolatry, but that is up to you to choose. What's so scary about Christ? Is there something that people in this world cannot face, cannot accept that we label him as X? Did Christ come down to haunt you, torture you, cursed you that this world should have his birthday called an xday/Xmas? Do you want to be Mr. X when you send invitations to your friends and family?

He came down in peace, with touches of healing and of miracles, yet this world devoid of any comprehension of what/who he is, simplifies matters by having the believers of Christ acknowledge the notion of Xmas, and other gods have names.

So please, respect us Christians too, by having postcards which bears "Merry/Blessed CHRISTMAS" because 1) he has a name; 2) i am not an Xtian.

My First Post

2005-01-27T08:17:00.000+11:00

When Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, he perspired and stumbled upon 2000 ways how NOT to make a light bulb, but he knew needed only ONE way to make it. He tried hard enough though, worked long enough, and reaped rewards of his perspiration.

Yet based on my book buying pattern i analysed recently, i realised i'm as much a Thomas Edison in my Christian life. I have books, revealing many interesting topics regarding cults, yoga, new age, ancient mysticisms, the 2nd coming, which in the absence of better metaphors, is perhaps few of many ways which describes how not to walk in tandem with the Lord. The fact of the matter is that while we Christians are fully aware of the fact that the Bible is the ultimate resource of living in the light, we fail to recognise the truths, knowledge and wisdom that belies in the Book of books.

As i packed my stuffs, i came across many books which i have accumulated and thought of reading. We're all Thomas Edisons in our walk since many of us aren't clear with the many things presented in this world. We read about how to not sin when we should be reading the Bible, we read about how to control anger when we really should be happy, we seek advice from humans or books, when we can talk directly to God, we discover about Hell when we should set our sights on Heaven, we fear Satan's works and minions when we should be fearing God and pray.

So here we are, everyday learning about how not to live the wrong way, when the right way is already present; the Bible. It is cynical how we often take for granted the things that God wants to speak to us about. We go to church, pray for the pastor to speak what the Lord ought to have him speak, yet hardly pray for ourselves, to anoint us to listen and decipher meanings that the Lord wants us to know.

The Bible is not so hard as it seems. It may speak in riddles, speak in metaphors, in parables but yet the meaning lies between you and God. You pray before you read, during (when you don't understand something ask for guidance to know the difference later) and after you read (to not forget) and i suppose you could grow closer to God. You can informal chats/prayers where u blab and God listens. Driving is a good time to reflect too. Turn off the volume of the music awhile, and just have a chat.

If somebody wants to listen about your days and rants, God does. And on Sunday, YOU do the listening.