Happy 50th Birthday Malaysia =) Semoga Tuhan memberkati tanah ini.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
約書亞记
今晚，回家的路途上，在地铁里读了一下一段的经文。。。
“。。。我都照著我所應許摩西的話賜給你們了。。。
。。。 你當剛強壯膽！。。。
。。。 只要剛強，大大壯膽，。。。
。。。我豈沒有吩咐你嗎？你當剛強壯膽！不要懼怕，也不要驚惶。。。
。。。你只要剛強壯膽！”-約書亞记 1
很多时候，上帝的应许早就已经赐给了我们。然而，赏赐与应许也需要我们"伸手"去拿，去领取。
在生活上，有多少个人因为"伸手"太难，而放弃了？有多少人因为太懒"伸手"而放弃了？約書亞也应该很怕吧，必须面对这么多的敌人，凶猛，残酷的敌人。
然而慈爱的上帝一而再，再而三的鼓励約書亞，要大大的壮胆。看哪，这就是天父对我们的爱，了解与耐心。
也许我们在教会听到太多基督徒将要和应该蒙福的讯息，反而忘了听"伸手"的讯息而看与对待天天的挑战，试炼为可怕的事情？約書亞的上帝，我们的上帝就告诉了我们，“你當剛強壯膽！”
愿大家一起加油，剛強壯膽！
“。。。我都照著我所應許摩西的話賜給你們了。。。
。。。 你當剛強壯膽！。。。
。。。 只要剛強，大大壯膽，。。。
。。。我豈沒有吩咐你嗎？你當剛強壯膽！不要懼怕，也不要驚惶。。。
。。。你只要剛強壯膽！”-約書亞记 1
很多时候，上帝的应许早就已经赐给了我们。然而，赏赐与应许也需要我们"伸手"去拿，去领取。
在生活上，有多少个人因为"伸手"太难，而放弃了？有多少人因为太懒"伸手"而放弃了？約書亞也应该很怕吧，必须面对这么多的敌人，凶猛，残酷的敌人。
然而慈爱的上帝一而再，再而三的鼓励約書亞，要大大的壮胆。看哪，这就是天父对我们的爱，了解与耐心。
也许我们在教会听到太多基督徒将要和应该蒙福的讯息，反而忘了听"伸手"的讯息而看与对待天天的挑战，试炼为可怕的事情？約書亞的上帝，我们的上帝就告诉了我们，“你當剛強壯膽！”
愿大家一起加油，剛強壯膽！
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Who I Am
I think i have to come to terms with who i am. This post goes out to all the people, all the friends whose friendship i treasure, and whose salvation i pray for.
What do you think of me? I don't think i would score quite high. For whatever reasons, i guess i'm a easy going fella, but not exactly someone you all aspire to be like. And this makes me very depressed, because i tried so hard, in being a good example, a good testimony, so that when you see me, you would want to know what made me so good, so you would want to know more about the driving force within me, so that you would come to know Christ.
This evidently did not happen. I admit that i didn't impact positively on you, neither am i positive about making an impact soon. You didn't see a very determined person, you didn't see a very successful person, you didn't see a very driven and motivated person, you didn't see a very positive person either. For whatever reasons, i thank you all, for your acceptance of me, at least you don't despise me [at least upfront..]
What i like to say to you guys is simply this: don't follow me, follow Jesus Christ. I have my flaws, i have my weakness, i have my long way to go. Yet, from deep in my heart, i sincerely hope you would consider a relationship with Jesus. Trust me, it's definately a long term investment, that still and even pays short term dividens. I'm waiting for you guys, as much as i have somewhat tried to share with you.
He, this person Jesus have done what only He can do, to save you from the crutches of sin and give you eternal life. I don't know how to articulate it in a very practical manner, i can't say how motivated will you become after you are a Christian, i don't know how many bad things will turn to good for you too. At least for now. I know we will be perfect, when the day comes, but on earth, we continue to strive, a step at a time. Sometimes flying, sometimes running, sometimes walking, sometimes crawling.
Please do consider my sincere plea. This goes out to all my friends. You know who you are. Trust me, you are.
What do you think of me? I don't think i would score quite high. For whatever reasons, i guess i'm a easy going fella, but not exactly someone you all aspire to be like. And this makes me very depressed, because i tried so hard, in being a good example, a good testimony, so that when you see me, you would want to know what made me so good, so you would want to know more about the driving force within me, so that you would come to know Christ.
This evidently did not happen. I admit that i didn't impact positively on you, neither am i positive about making an impact soon. You didn't see a very determined person, you didn't see a very successful person, you didn't see a very driven and motivated person, you didn't see a very positive person either. For whatever reasons, i thank you all, for your acceptance of me, at least you don't despise me [at least upfront..]
What i like to say to you guys is simply this: don't follow me, follow Jesus Christ. I have my flaws, i have my weakness, i have my long way to go. Yet, from deep in my heart, i sincerely hope you would consider a relationship with Jesus. Trust me, it's definately a long term investment, that still and even pays short term dividens. I'm waiting for you guys, as much as i have somewhat tried to share with you.
He, this person Jesus have done what only He can do, to save you from the crutches of sin and give you eternal life. I don't know how to articulate it in a very practical manner, i can't say how motivated will you become after you are a Christian, i don't know how many bad things will turn to good for you too. At least for now. I know we will be perfect, when the day comes, but on earth, we continue to strive, a step at a time. Sometimes flying, sometimes running, sometimes walking, sometimes crawling.
Please do consider my sincere plea. This goes out to all my friends. You know who you are. Trust me, you are.
Quiet Night
It's weird actually. I feel like writing something, but yet don't know what to write. It was a long day. Feeling very tired and sleepy, yet at the same time, unwilling to put myself to rest.
I really don't know what to share...
There're a lot of expectations. You have to live up to expectations. But this is not the main aim. And it should not be.
Remember the story about the young child who was sent to university by his poor father who worked very hard? The young child graduated with flying colours and got a very high paying job in the city.
He went back one day, after many many years. His father was now old, and not as strong as before. The child, now a man, ran to his father and embraced him. He said to the father, that he has worked very hard, and is now a professional in a very big company. He also told his father his intention to bring his father over to the city.
What happend next? ... [to be continued]
I really don't know what to share...
There're a lot of expectations. You have to live up to expectations. But this is not the main aim. And it should not be.
Remember the story about the young child who was sent to university by his poor father who worked very hard? The young child graduated with flying colours and got a very high paying job in the city.
He went back one day, after many many years. His father was now old, and not as strong as before. The child, now a man, ran to his father and embraced him. He said to the father, that he has worked very hard, and is now a professional in a very big company. He also told his father his intention to bring his father over to the city.
What happend next? ... [to be continued]
Friday, August 24, 2007
Snoopy
Beautifully written. From the pages of RBC Ministries
FOR 50 YEARS, cartoonist Charles Schulz gave us pictures of ourselves wrapped in a smile. One of the last strips I clipped from our Sunday paper showed Snoopy the dog sitting on top of his doghouse with a typewriter, writing about his life. He titled his story . . .
The Dog Who Never Did Anything
Snoopy remembers it this way, “You stay home now,” they said, “and be a good dog.”
So he stayed home and was a good dog.
Then he decided to be even a better dog. So he barked at everyone who went by. And he even chased the neighbor’s cats.
“What’s happened to you?” they said. “You used to be such a good dog.”
So he stopped barking and chasing cats, and everyone said, “You’re a good dog.”
The moral, as Snoopy typed it, is “Don’t do anything and you’ll be a good dog.”
As I turned the smile around in my mind, I noticed a quirk of the English language. Snoopy and God have something in common. They are related not only by alphabet (dog and god), but by what “creatures in the middle” expect of them. The idea intrigued me enough to try another version.
The God Who Never Did Anything
“You give me what I want now,” they said, “and be a good God.”
So He gave them what they wanted and He was a good God.
Then He decided to be an even better God.
He started knocking over the furniture of other gods, and He used pain to help people in ways they could not understand.
“What’s happened to You?” they said.
“You used to be such a good God.”
So He stopped knocking over the furniture of other gods, and He stopped using pain in ways that were beyond people’s ability to understand.
And everyone said, “You’re a good God.”
The moral, as angels might see it, “Stop acting like God and people will think You’re good.”
The God We Want
Many of us imagine God as we want Him to be. To our wishes we add expectation. We expect Him to encourage us when we are afraid, to comfort us when we’re hurt, to forgive us when we fail, and to give us what we think we need when we think we need it.
Yet, along the way, we keep stumbling into the awareness that the King of Heaven is more apt to come to us in His own style, time, and mystery. He is seldom as we imagine Him to be. He is more like the God who reveals Himself in the pages of His own history.
There He comes to us in the unexpected surprises of joy, in the unwanted nights of our misery, and in the solitary sounds of our own loneliness. He comes to us in the unexpected joys of Adam, in the numbed grief of Eve, in the inconsolable tears of the childless Hannah, in the murderous anger of Moses, and in the madness of a powerful Nebuchadnezzar.
But me? Until He responds, I’d rather have it my way. In the moments of my dissatisfaction, I don’t want to have to wait for what I want. I want it now. Now. I’ll pray. I’ll pay. I’ll bargain. I’ll crawl on my knees. But I want God to prove that He is good—right now.
The God Who Has Been Good
Even in our “maturity” we can be like 2- and 3-year-olds pulling at the pant leg of heaven. Our Father isn’t surprised. He knows how to raise physical, emotional, and spiritual toddlers. He knows how to run with us in our youth, and how to walk with us at 74, 84, and 94.
And for those who go further, He is still there, hearing once again our whimpers in the night, and reaching down with the affection of an adoring mother who carefully lifts her children from their crib to herself.
No, He has not always been the kind of parent we wanted Him to be. Yes, He has been good on His terms rather than on ours. He has not answered our prayers in the way we asked. Seldom has He allowed anything to play out according to our own expectations or childish demands. Yet His determination to lead us in the paths of His own choosing is what has made Him so good.
The God Who Will Be Good
The promise of tomorrow comes with the wrinkled snapshots of yesterday. Even though our memories are not as sharp as we’d like them to be, and even though the happy times are mixed with regret, our albums contain memories of a God who keeps reminding us that He is better than our expectations. He is better than our demands. He is better than anything this life has to offer.
If He allowed a relationship to be lost, He stayed with us to remind us that we weren’t made for one another as much as we were made for Him. As our bodies give way to time, they become painful reminders that we were not made for these bodies. We were made for the One who said from the top of a thundering, burning mountain—to a people huddled in the middle of a life-threatening wilderness—“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.”
This is the God who, because He is good, refuses to “stay home and do nothing.”
Father, thank You for a man named Charles Schulz who brought us elements of truth amid our smiles. Thank You for being God on Your terms rather than ours. May Your name be hallowed as we wait on You. May Your kingdom be reflected in our patience. May Your will be done in our disappointments. Please, give us this day our daily bread.
FOR 50 YEARS, cartoonist Charles Schulz gave us pictures of ourselves wrapped in a smile. One of the last strips I clipped from our Sunday paper showed Snoopy the dog sitting on top of his doghouse with a typewriter, writing about his life. He titled his story . . .
The Dog Who Never Did Anything
Snoopy remembers it this way, “You stay home now,” they said, “and be a good dog.”
So he stayed home and was a good dog.
Then he decided to be even a better dog. So he barked at everyone who went by. And he even chased the neighbor’s cats.
“What’s happened to you?” they said. “You used to be such a good dog.”
So he stopped barking and chasing cats, and everyone said, “You’re a good dog.”
The moral, as Snoopy typed it, is “Don’t do anything and you’ll be a good dog.”
As I turned the smile around in my mind, I noticed a quirk of the English language. Snoopy and God have something in common. They are related not only by alphabet (dog and god), but by what “creatures in the middle” expect of them. The idea intrigued me enough to try another version.
The God Who Never Did Anything
“You give me what I want now,” they said, “and be a good God.”
So He gave them what they wanted and He was a good God.
Then He decided to be an even better God.
He started knocking over the furniture of other gods, and He used pain to help people in ways they could not understand.
“What’s happened to You?” they said.
“You used to be such a good God.”
So He stopped knocking over the furniture of other gods, and He stopped using pain in ways that were beyond people’s ability to understand.
And everyone said, “You’re a good God.”
The moral, as angels might see it, “Stop acting like God and people will think You’re good.”
The God We Want
Many of us imagine God as we want Him to be. To our wishes we add expectation. We expect Him to encourage us when we are afraid, to comfort us when we’re hurt, to forgive us when we fail, and to give us what we think we need when we think we need it.
Yet, along the way, we keep stumbling into the awareness that the King of Heaven is more apt to come to us in His own style, time, and mystery. He is seldom as we imagine Him to be. He is more like the God who reveals Himself in the pages of His own history.
There He comes to us in the unexpected surprises of joy, in the unwanted nights of our misery, and in the solitary sounds of our own loneliness. He comes to us in the unexpected joys of Adam, in the numbed grief of Eve, in the inconsolable tears of the childless Hannah, in the murderous anger of Moses, and in the madness of a powerful Nebuchadnezzar.
But me? Until He responds, I’d rather have it my way. In the moments of my dissatisfaction, I don’t want to have to wait for what I want. I want it now. Now. I’ll pray. I’ll pay. I’ll bargain. I’ll crawl on my knees. But I want God to prove that He is good—right now.
The God Who Has Been Good
Even in our “maturity” we can be like 2- and 3-year-olds pulling at the pant leg of heaven. Our Father isn’t surprised. He knows how to raise physical, emotional, and spiritual toddlers. He knows how to run with us in our youth, and how to walk with us at 74, 84, and 94.
And for those who go further, He is still there, hearing once again our whimpers in the night, and reaching down with the affection of an adoring mother who carefully lifts her children from their crib to herself.
No, He has not always been the kind of parent we wanted Him to be. Yes, He has been good on His terms rather than on ours. He has not answered our prayers in the way we asked. Seldom has He allowed anything to play out according to our own expectations or childish demands. Yet His determination to lead us in the paths of His own choosing is what has made Him so good.
The God Who Will Be Good
The promise of tomorrow comes with the wrinkled snapshots of yesterday. Even though our memories are not as sharp as we’d like them to be, and even though the happy times are mixed with regret, our albums contain memories of a God who keeps reminding us that He is better than our expectations. He is better than our demands. He is better than anything this life has to offer.
If He allowed a relationship to be lost, He stayed with us to remind us that we weren’t made for one another as much as we were made for Him. As our bodies give way to time, they become painful reminders that we were not made for these bodies. We were made for the One who said from the top of a thundering, burning mountain—to a people huddled in the middle of a life-threatening wilderness—“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.”
This is the God who, because He is good, refuses to “stay home and do nothing.”
Father, thank You for a man named Charles Schulz who brought us elements of truth amid our smiles. Thank You for being God on Your terms rather than ours. May Your name be hallowed as we wait on You. May Your kingdom be reflected in our patience. May Your will be done in our disappointments. Please, give us this day our daily bread.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Updates
It has been some time already since i last posted anything on this blog. Few things have happened and i thought it was good for me to note it down.
JTC, my new work place. This is already the second week i'm in JTC. My first official job outside NTU (if i don't count my industrial attachement). The place has its plus points and also its not-so-plus points, according to me. But sufficient to say is that, i'm currently doing much passive work, i.e. reading, reading, reading, and sometimes listening too. Got to get familiarised with the work and the scope of things i needed to do. This can sometimes be quite boring.
Ups and downs. Have been quite emotional at times, although i tend to hide it. Expectations, set by others, set by me, set by God even. I just don't measure up. And when you ask if i have ever given my best? Nope, i rarely give my best. Maybe second best, possibly. So how can i be contented with myself? The inner struggle is strong. All i want is just peace. Peace, is it that hard to attain?
I recall many stories heard and learned...
One was from the Bible. The disciples were worried dead when their boat was rocking like mad in a strom, Jesus just keep on sleeping. At the end the disciples were rebuked because of their lack of faith. Lesson to self: Whatever storm it may be, Jesus is always there. Although it may seems that He's not in control, but trust Him, He is definately in control.
Another one was...what was it? forgotten... just forgot...
The point is that i am dissatisfied with my life. Felt that i'm an underachiever in all things. Yes, one could comfort me in saying that i've already been so good and so on and so forth. But still, I binge eat, i sin, i don't do sports, i don't give 100% for work, i don't obey God enough, i don't treat people well and as they should be treated, i boe chub a lot. My financial status is in a mess...
And these things are not things that i don't care, or couldn't care less about, these are the things that i wanted away with from my life. Yet, they seems to be there, and progress seemed stagnant.
One thing at a time. One step at a time. That's the thing i can say. STAY POSITIVE!
Sometimes, i don't know why, but i just wanted to write these things out. I don't cry often in front of people, this is my outlet. It's like screaming in outer space, at least it's void.
Ok lah, this is just a need for me to vent/trash things out. By right should be more postive now. :P
Anyways, i have another blog, which i only post on language related stuff. So henceforth, all my language related stuff will only be posted there. This will be a more personal blog. The other blog is at wenfang.wordpress.com
Thanks. That's all for now. thanks for reading until this line.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Get Up!
Thank God for the timely comfort. =)
Get Up!
God is my helper. —Psalm 54:4
I hadn’t been water-skiing in 15 years, but when friends offered to take my son-in-law Todd and me out on the lake last summer, how could I say no? It seemed like a good idea until I watched Todd have trouble getting upright on his skis. He had done a lot of skiing, but as he tried to get up on one ski, he kept falling. So when it came to my turn, I didn’t have a lot of confidence.
Fortunately, my friend who is a competitive skier stayed with me in the water and coached me about what to do. She said, “Let the boat pull you up,” and “Be strong!” These seemingly contradictory statements made all the difference. I did both—I trusted the boat to do its job, and I hung on with all my strength. The first time the boat took off, I got up and enjoyed a great ride around the lake.
When life has you down—whether through sorrow that seems too hard to bear or circumstances that make each day a morning-to-night grind—my friend’s advice can help. First, let God pull you up by His power (Ps. 54:1-4). Then, hold on to His hand. Cling to Him and “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10).
Trust His power and hold on. He will give you the strength to keep from falling (Isa. 40:31). —Dave Branon
Savior, let me walk beside Thee,
Let me feel my hand in Thine;
Let me know the joy of walking
In Thy strength and not in mine. —Sidebotham
Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. —Isaiah 40:31
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