Shine

"The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me;
his word was on my tongue.
The God of Israel spoke,
the Rock of Israel said to me:

'When one rules over men in righteousness,
when he rules in the fear of God,
he is like the light of morning at sunrise
on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain
that brings the grass from the earth.' "

2 Sam 23:2-4

"Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.

Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters are carried on the arm.

Then you will look and be radiant,
your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come.''

Isaiah 60:1-5

Mission vs Ambition

thanks jer!

Mission vs Ambition

Unity is diversity and codependence

I had a dream Friday night. Don't remember much of the details, but there was like a huge competitive event going on, and a lot of my friends from a long time ago was there. I remember someone fatherly giving me advice, saying "Unity is diversity and codependence." I replied, "You mean, Unity is codependence." He said, "No, it is DIVERSITY and codependence." And I understood that we are not united when we are all the same. Rather, it is our differences that make us strong.

I later checked the word "codependence" and realized that it is related to alcoholism and stuff. A better word might be "Interdependence" but I want to remain true to the word that I heard. Perhaps codependence is not just depending on each other, but that and also depending on God together.

Your love never fails

Tired of being tossed around by the waves. I need a rock, a base, a foundational revelation in my life. Something that never changes. Ever.



Jesus Culture - Your Love Never Fails

Nothing can separate
Even if I ran away
Your love never fails

I know I still make mistakes
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Your love never fails

Chorus:
You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There maybe pain in the night but joy comes in the morning

And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails

Verse 2:
The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails

The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails

Bridge:
You make all things work together for my good

Family

God first. Family second. Ministry third.

In this revival, God is restoring intimacy and He is restoring the family.

He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Here's a good sermon about the family by Tommy Barnett. Check out the one on 21st June.

Secrets to a strong family:
1. Commitment to each other.
2. Quantity and quality time.
3. Showing appreciation all the time.
4. Communication.
5. Coping skills for crisis.
6. Strong faith.

A good word I heard at Highway Church: "There are two important things you as a daddy can do for your daughter. The first is teaching her to tie her shoelace. The second is teaching her to love herself. And you can only do that by learning to love yourself first." (paraphrased)

Dream

It is better to have dreamed and failed, then not to dream at all.

It is better to have believed and not see its fulfillment, then not to believe at all.

"These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." Heb 12:39-40

When we believe, we are trusting in His character. The goodness of God will accomplish it. His power alone shall accomplish it. We do not believe because we fear disappointment. But when we believe, there is no disappointment.

"We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Rom 5:2-5.

We have been taught that we should take risks in what we do. It is better to have tried and failed, then not to try at all. In the same way, take risks in what we believe. There is something mysterious about hope, something mysterious about faith. It changes the one who carries it. It connects us higher, deeper to Him.

I'll tell you how to serve

"I'll tell you how to serve. Sit at my feet, like Mary. Listen to what I have to say. Martha, Martha, Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.''

"Are you serving the world or serving me? A changed man changes the world. You are more important to me than the world. I will feed you, then you can feed my sheep."

Unreligious Guide to Dating

I was recommended this blog series on dating by Shawn Bolz, a candid young prophetic minister. He's one of my favorite guys because he doesn't say things to sound good or to please people. Just an honest dude trying to live life for God.

1. Unreligious guide to dating and being single
2. Single and loving/hating it
3. I'm not married and so can you be
4. I kissed dating goodbye and then i asked it out again
5. About guys. For guys. Anyone else read at your own risk
6. All about guys! Because its ladies night!
7. Friendship with the opposite sex
8. Obsession and stalkers

Loving without agenda

Its taken me a long time to figure out what is ministry and evangelism. A part of me always felt offended by these concepts. I think I understand why now.

I was offended by how sometimes it seems like we are helping others because we want them in the church, and later for them to become like us. That we felt there was something wrong with their lives and that needs correction. If we help others out of this intention, how could that be love? I would be very sad if that was all love was. Yet God's love is different, I always feel accepted in His presence. What is the difference? There is a saying "God loves you the way you are, but He loves you too much for you to remain that way." I don't like the second half. It doesn't convey His love right.

A friend taught me something new recently. I asked him, "What do you do when you spend time with God?" I was expecting him to say something like worship, or telling Him his thoughts and feelings, or reading the bible. But he said, "I don't know, I don't really do anything." I got a little annoyed, then God revealed to me the wisdom in his words. I've somehow felt that I need to have an agenda when I come before God. Something to do, or to ask, or to accomplish. Kinda like calling a friend on the phone only because you need something from him. Yet when God comes to us, He has no agenda. He just wants to be with us.

In the documentary "Finger of God", one of the last scene shows Heidi Baker praying for a muslim woman. The woman gets healed, and thanks Allah. Someone from the ministry team corrects her, saying it was Jesus, not Allah. The woman refuses to acknowledge that and they get into a slight disagreement. But Heidi replies, Allah healed you and He loves you. She smiles and says goodbye to the woman.

God heals us because He loves us, not to get us to come back to Him. Yes, He does want us with Him, but it is far from being his primary reason for healing us. Like a mother, seeing her runaway child go hungry, would send food and money his way because he needs it, and not because she wants him to come home. Loving unconditionally, that's another way to say it. And when we love like that, people change. It is a side-effect, not a goal. That love is powerful, probably the most powerful thing in the universe.

Lord, teach me to love radically, without agenda.

UPDATE ON 29 JUNE 2009:

There is promise in the bible for those who love without agenda,

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matt 5:8

You will see God as He is.

God understands loss

I guess, during such times, we don't have to figure out or justify why we feel the way we feel. God just wants to come close and whisper, "I know how you feel".

Goodbyes..

This has been a tremendously tough week for me... my two closest brudders left for singapore. my parents came and left too. my heart is grieving. i do not know what to do. overwhelmed. truly overwhelmed. i need you God.