You hold me

You are my shepherd,
I shall not want.
You hold me in your hands.
I will let go so you can take over.

Simple

Simplicity. Enter the moment, the present, the now. Experience. You don't have to analyze, you don't have to understand everything. We can trust Him with where we are now. Rest. Rejoice!

Be thankful for the past. You can't be living in the past, even if it was really good, but you can be thankful for it. The good gets better.

Be hopeful for the future. God was good. Is good. Will always be.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." @ 1 Thess 5:16-18

We who are born again, we never die. The same goes with our relationships. Relationships never end. They may change but they never end. Every relationship different, every one unique. Each has a life of their own.

I am who I am

From the One who said "I am who I am," He gives us the freedom to be the same.

No need to change, or be someone else. Just where we are. Now.

I am who I am.

Contend.

I have seen what is possible. How can I still be content with what I have now?

"Then, contend. Contend. Contend with Me."

What do I contend for? I cannot find it here on earth.

"You'll be the first. You'll be the blueprint. Be the match that sparks a forest fire."

Raw

Raw... so raw. I trust you Bro.

"I give You all of me for all You are
Here I am
Take me apart
Take me apart"

Never Fall Down

Let me teach you how to never fall down, how to never get hurt: Don't put yourself out there. Don't do things that you don't already know how to do, or things that you do not do well. Don't put your emotions into what you do, don't raise your hopes too high. Try not to feel or experience the process. Focus on the goal and play it safe.

That way, you will never fail, because success is about accomplishing something, not about picking up yourself when you fall. And because you did not put your feelings into it, you won't be hurt when you fall. Even better: you won't have to depend on anyone else but yourself. Not even God.

And when you have lots of successes, you can be proud of yourself. You can say that you achieved everything you wanted, and did not experience any hurts, or anything at all, along the way.

***

"I have gone before you, you can trust in Me. Only be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid to fall. I am with you always, especially when it hurts. You are stronger than you think, more brave than you know. I know that about you."

You are loved

Reblogged from a friend :) the words are due to Graham Cooke, an amazing friend of God.

Epic Songs from the Epic Trip

Take me apart

I am finally ready to discover who I am.

"I give You all of me for all You are
Here I am
Take me apart
Take me apart"

Friends with God

I've not blogged for a while, and there is actually a lot that I want to write about. So here it is. I've bunched them all into one article, and I couldn't think of a good title for this entry but the above sums up my feelings pretty well.

First, let me tell you a story about one of my closest friends. After I first met him, God told me that we were going to be good friends. So I asked God to tell me everything about him. He said, "Why don't you get to know him the normal way?" I asked, "Which is?" And He said, "By talking to him."

Over the months, through our conversations, we indeed became close. I have been given many prophetic words for other people, but I received very few for him. Almost everything I know about him comes from talking to him. Recently, he asked me if I have any words of knowledge for him, and I said, "Unfortunately no. Looks like we have to do it the normal way!"

It occurred to me the next day that I often do the same with God. I go to Him asking if He has any words for me, to help me deal with my issues or my decisions. But He really desires to just talk with me. It is as though He switches off His prophetic gift (which by the way is really really powerful!) and smiles, "How are you today?" It hit me that He really really wants to be friends with us. Not primarily a master or a teacher or a counsellor, but a friend.

Here is another thread, bear with me, but it'll lead somewhere. The story of Peter having a vision where a voice tells him to "kill and eat" in Acts 10. Peter says that he will not eat anything impure. But the voice said, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." I've noticed that I'm subconsciously labeling everything as secular or christian. Especially people. I realized that God doesn't look at someone and thinks he or she is non-christian. So why should we?

There is something to be said about finding goodness in every situation and every person. There is no such thing as a secular situation or a christian situation, but in every situation, we can see God at work and we can see where God is not at work. This is also true about church, where we have come to believe that everything preached must be from God. We need to practice discernment. At the same time, I've learnt some of my deepest lessons from "secular" events and "secular" people!

Someone asked me recently, "Why do you always prophesy good things? Doesn't God see the negative in us that needs changing?" Then, I realized it is impossible for God to see us as bad or being defined by something bad. He sees the bad stuff hindering and crippling us like a disease that is not a part of us. The good news is that we no longer are bound to this disease. The cross accomplished this. But cross or no cross, God never saw the cup as half-empty. He always sees us as half-full. He sees our goodness and wants to give us even more. The cross accomplishes this.

Which brings me to the crux: that there is so much good in people! When I look around, the world is in color! I see the amazingness that God has created his people with. The fields are white for harvest, they are not black! We are not harvesting weeds! We are calling out the goodness in people, to bring it to their attention, to show them how much worth they have. This is the harvest!

Be Strong and Courageous

Sometimes, when we feel helpless and hopeless, it is time to be strong and courageous.

Passion, not obligation

I'm reading the book "Boundaries" by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. If you haven't seen it, please do! It's awesome :)

I love what it says about compliance. There are many people who have difficulty saying "no" to things that hurt them (I don't just mean drugs). For instance, when asked for a favor, even if they do not have the time or energy to do it, they will say yes because "it is sacrificial love."

This kind of boundary conflict is called compliance. Compliant people have fuzzy and indistinct boundaries; they "melt" into the demands and needs of other people. They can't stand alone, distinct from people who want something from them. Compliants, for example, pretend to like the same restaurants and movies their friends do "just to get along." They minimize their differences with others so as not to rock the boat. Compliants are chameleons. After a while, it's hard to distinguish them from their environment.

So, what's the deal with this? There will be times for sacrificial love. How is that distinct from compliance? The difference is on the inside.

Biblical compliance needs to be distinguished from this kind of compliance. Mathew 9:13 says that God desires "compassion, not sacrifice" (NASB). In other words, God wants us to be compliant from the inside out (compassionate), not compliant on the outside and resentful on the inside (sacrificial). Compliants take on too many responsibilities and set too few boundaries, not by choice, but because they are afraid.

Love casts out all fear. Sacrificial love is a love that invokes a sacrifice, not a sacrifice pretending to be love. We desire to be passionate lovers. We need to find true desires deep inside of us, those which God created in us, and to respect and pursue those desires. We need a deeper work, and only God can do that.

The Invisible

"You ask, why is passion so important? Why are dreams important?

Let me ask you, why is love so important? Why is it important to go deep? To root yourselves? To understand, to know the truth? To see things are they are? The important things are often invisible. They will bear fruit, but in their own time."

Big Daddy

As I stand and looked my greatest fear in its eyes, it doesn't seem very big any more. my Daddy is bigger. much BIGGER!

Love is Here - Tenth Avenue North

Thoughts on teaching

It's late, I'm doing my laundry, and I'm still up. I'm thinking about my students.

I had a privilege of teaching an undergraduate math class this semester. It was completely different from relief teaching in high school. Mainly because they're so much closer in age and they're also much smarter than me. Seriously! And they are some of the most amazing, motivated, curious people I've met. Seriously!

I just finished grading their exam today and turned in the textbooks. I think I miss them already :P

Some of them are going to be so amazed by how they did overall. Its awesome, they should celebrate! Congrats!!

Some of them are going to feel disappointed. They did not do as well as they hoped. But they tried their best, and for that, they should celebrate!

At the same time, our emotions are important. It is natural to feel sad, especially if it is something we worked very hard on. And God is someone who empathizes with us. He is here to say, "I know how much it hurts." It really does hurt.

But they will arise from the dust. The wind and the sand cannot stop them. They will not give up. That is their greatest victory.

Overcast

The skies were overcast, and rain fell in a light drizzle.

As I walked down the street, I felt His presence surround me. I smiled and snuggled in His arms. I looked at my life and what I have done. He has done so much for me, and me? I feel like I have only been messing around, not accomplishing anything. I backed away from His embrace. "God, don't invest so much in me. I'm not worth anything. I like having you around, but I will never accomplish much. Don't put too much hopes in me."

He paused. There was a silence. He was deep in thought.

Then, He said, "Let me tell you something..."

I waited. There was no response. Puzzled, I looked up, wondering what He would say next.

And there, the sun shone through the clouds. It nearly blinded me. The clouds parted for the moment, and the sun put everything in their glory.

Then, He said, "You cannot stop the sun from shining." He continued, "The clouds may come, the rains may fall, but the sun continues shining. Nobody can stop it from shining."

"Just be yourself."

And I saw my mind, my soul, my spirit glow with its own light. He likes me for who I am. He likes my quirkiness, my ups and downs, my humor, my struggles, my moments of intense joy. My life is interesting, many things have happened, many things are coming. I love my life. I wouldn't give it up for anyone else's. My successes worth celebrating, and my struggles even more amazing than my successes, though few people celebrate their struggles. People can judge me, will judge me, but as for me, I rejoice in who I am, because my Judge reviewed who I am and called it good.

"You are above and beyond understanding.
If we did not praise, the rocks would cry out."

I love my car

I love my car. It's beaten-down, worn-out, takes a while to warm up every morning. It has many dents and scratches, dust on the inside, dirt on the outside. Recently, its windshield cracked too.

But it goes places with me. It has character, almost a personality of its own. It is faithful, trustworthy. I love my car Shine.

And God is reminding me, that I'm like that car to Him. He loves spending time with me, every single moment. He loves every scratch, bump and crack. One day, He might give me a complete haul-over. But I matter more to Him than that. He likes me the way I am. Gee... : )

Humanity and Deity

When we fully embrace our humanity and we catch a glimpse of His deity, we start to marvel at His creation, how He created both to be meshed together! This, is Grace.

Oh, how He loves us!



He is jealous for me
Love's like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy
When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
and I realize just how beautiful You are and how great your affections are for me.
Oh, how He loves us so
Oh, how He loves us
How He loves us so.

Yeah, He loves us
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves.

So we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If grace is an ocean we're all sinking
So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss and my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way

That he loves us,
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves

He loves us,
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves

I met Jesus

I met Jesus yesterday.

There was an old homeless man carrying a lot of big bags and with a torn jacket. He walked into the seminar room where we were having a department talk on quantum information. He put down his bags, sat on the side steps and started to listen intently to the lectures. Then, he looked at me, and his eyes were so simple. His gaze pierced straight into my core. I thought, he could be Jesus for all we know, but ignored by everyone else in the room.

The King resides in His simple ones.

Don't give up

"If you trust me, then hear this: don't give up on yourself."