Heartbreak Warfare

If you say yes now, then no longer am I too early.




I am too late.




If you want more love, why don't you say so? God knows how much I'd love you if you let me, but I can't break free at all. -John Mayer, Heartbreak Warfare

A Note to... Myself?

I saw that a friend was depressed on Facebook, so I wrote him a little note to cheer him up. The note went like this:

If you don't see the light at the end of the tunnel, and your faith is shaking along the way... sing.

Sing like you've never sung before, dance like no one's watching, and when you pray, have a chocolate bar at the same time.

God doesn't mind... if your teeth are brown and that you talk while you eat. He only wants you to remember that His timing is the best timing.

"... and with less than 2 seconds on the buzzer, Michael tries a huge jumper... OH MY GOD IT WENT IN! GAME OVER UTAH! HE COULDN'T HAVE ASKED FOR MORE!! GAME 7 AND CHICAGO BRINGS DOWN THE HOUSE!"

Don't worry when you're down. It can only get better from here. +)

 

Then after I pressed the "Comment" button, I stood back to reread what I had just written.

And to my amazement, I realized that I had written the note to myself.

By all this we are encouraged. -Paul (2 Corinthians 7:13)

Who Needs Instruments??

Perhaps the only reason why I would ever buy an iPhone.

Richard, David, if you're reading this, let's try this on the MRT! If we pull this off successfully, I'll buy you both dinner. Let's set this as our goal for before the year ends.




Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. -Steve Jobs

Rescuing 33 Chilean Miners

Photo courtesy of Reuters.

Thank you for praying for the Chilean miners! Our God is a God who hears, and with His hands He will rescue and protect the ones He loves.


He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me. -David (Psalms 18:19)

To Deny Oneself

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Mark 8:34)

Deny myself. For someone like me, that is nearly impossible to do. I live on dreams, and thrive on ambition, and I feed on expectations. To give up everything to pursue after His heart means that I have to give up running after things that the world has socialized me into desiring. But does that mean that everything left to run after is boring, without reward, and passionless?

I may not be inclined to do evangelism, but there are many other things that I could possibly find exciting and still do it! The one that attracts me most is this:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)

That's something meaningful! To look after the helpless and ensure that they are fed, clothed, and have a future. One reason why God directed me to do Sociology was because the subject allowed me to take a close look into the process of marginalization, to study the workings of society and to see the inherent obstacles faced by good Samaritans.

Also, I may not have money, but I have ideas and I can motivate. God has provided me with an opportunity to be educated with certain mindsets and perspectives that I can contribute.

Question is, are we willing to die for something good, pure and true but brings no benefit to us at all?


It is by answering this question that those of us with a conscience, I believe, will come to realize that living for oneself is living for nothing at all. The revelation in the Bible will then demonstrate as clear as day, that somewhere deep within, we were hard-wired to live for something greater than our imaginations can ever conjure and our minds can ever comprehend.






If there is nothing in this world other than yourself that you would die for, than maybe you haven't truly lived. -Valentino Casanova

A Turn-Around and a Thanksgiving Post

For the people who have been praying for me, this post is a thanksgiving to God and to you all. My prayer life is back on track, and I've been comforted by His words to me. I was also thoroughly refreshed from the worship practice and flag day today, and though I'm really tired now, I believe God deserves recognition without delay!

It has been His grace that has allowed me to persevere with reading the Bible daily, and on Wednesday, I found some of my long-awaited questions answered. With regards to my question on my next career step, the verse from Joshua 1:9 was how the Lord chose to reply.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

The Lord has left the ball in my court, with the promise that He would stand by me in every decision I make. I knew it was Him, for a huge weight of anxiety was suddenly lifted from me, and an amazing joy swept through me with the freedom that accompanied it. However, it is still my responsibility to make Him obvious to my colleagues, wherever I choose to go in the end, and to ensure that His name is glorified through my words and deeds.


It was also by His providence that two friends decided to do something which had the effect of touching me deep within. One of them wrote a long letter, as he always does when he finds something amiss with my spiritual walk from my blog post; another sent a song which touched her heart to all her church friends in which I was included. The correspondence with the former shook me up a little, while the song and openness with her vulnerability of the latter inspired me to lead the song for youth worship tomorrow.


I find myself now looking forward to every word that comes from Him, and in His time, my questions will be answered.



The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. -David (Psalms 119:130)