Hello 2010

This is a completely pointless post to welcome 2010...
i expect good things from 2010...
not because 2010 is able to give me anything good or bad...
but because my God is able to give me good things...
and if bad things happen because life is like that...
God is still able to make me surmount...
therefore i will more than survive the year...
i will thrive...

Twenty-two hundred hours

It's 2200hrs and i'm listening to my Christian Theology Lecture from 04/02... suffice to say, i'm not quite current with my reading.  but that's applicable to all my subjects.... can i maintain my A- average? i'm not quite sure... this year, the going seems to be more challenging.  

But i do have my minimum aim of B+ all round... so i think... and hope... and pray that i may be able to maintain my grades...

Have to think about what essays i'm going to write for CT and CH...

hmm.... more thoughts in the near future...

oh, today's class group was pretty good! we had a time of sharing and praying for each other... it is true that without the support of the class, studies would have been even more difficult...

i've already mentioned RSOBAR in facebook... but they really have been a good source of strength! Praise the Lord!!!

Radical Reversal and Meeting God in the Wilderness

Well, I attended the El-Shaddai Conference today.  And i have quite a bit of take home from it.  However, i want to blog most about Immediate Application.  Because after learning from the Book of Job how the wilderness experience allowed Job to meet God directly, i have an opportunity to apply it.

I got a stomachache immediately after the conference ended.  I went toilet 2x. the second time i went to the toilet, i left my handphone on the toilet paper dispenser in the cubicle.  i washed my hands and left the toilet. then i patted my pocket and realised my phone wasn't there!

so i rushed back into the toilet.  i already had a bad feeling but still i went in and back to the cubicle. just then a guy was going into the cubicle.  i dunno why i didn't stop him but i did peek into the cubicle before it closed and i thought i didn't glimpse it there...

i waited for the guy to finish and when he opened the door, i asked him if he'd seen a phone in the cubicle.  he said no.  i went in to check and yup it wasn't there...

so i turned but the guy had GONE! i rushed out of the toilet but i couldn't find him!

and that's that... i lost my phone.

so the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away... Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Then, just a little while ago, Joel bumped the back of his head against the corner of the change table.  He'd jerked his body backwards too far.  of course he wailed but after calming him down and praying with him (together with Rena of course!) he was ok...

now we're just on the lookout for any abnormal signs like vomiting or swellings etc...

so more negative events...

But we still Praise the Lord! For He is sovereign and has all things under His command.

We are His children and He will watch over us!

Glory be to the Father!

Halftime results

i'm at halftime in my 1st year of studies at TTC.  and i want to thank God for His mercy and favour. 5 subjects... 2As 3A-s... way above my expectations. =)

well, this sem seems 2b tougher... but still aiming 2do well. hard work plus prayer... good combo!

Joel said Hello!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow!!! I really can't...well, "can't believe" aren't the right words! i mean, Joel is what...2 months old? do babies articulate at 7 weeks? Joel will be 2 months old on the 11th of Dec...

Rena took a video of Joel as she repeated the word, Hello, to him.

And then in the middle of her speaking, he said Hello!

Ok, you can tell the daddy is very excited.  and i know, you think he probably made some sound which we interpreted to be his saying Hello... well, he'd been making sounds for a while now, and we don't mean crying mind you, but sounds like he's trying to have a conversation with us.

So yah... i got interrupted while typing this...

and so now... about 1 hr after Joel said his first word... He's had his first wound... his fingernails have been giving him a lot of grief... as in, whenever his mittens come off, he scratches his face... so we were trying to trim his nails a bit... and well... cut his finger a bit... ;_;

i iced the wound... and then left the blood to clot... ;_;

sigh... what a rollercoaster ride of emotions!

But! Thank God its not serious! and Thank God for Joel's first Word!

Praise the Lord!!!!

On Legalism and Love

During today’s sermon, Rev Mike mentioned a few examples involving the youth ministry. While they were all very valid points and actually good that they were addressed, I think there could be some additional thoughts that can be included.

The thing we want to avoid is Legalism. Whenever there are rules, there is a chance legalism may rear it’s ugly head. However, to claim that we are completely under grace and therefore have no need for rules is equally false. What we always try to achieve is the right balance of Rule and Grace.

For example, Pastor said that he hoped church members would be committed to attending Prayer Meets at least once a month. It can be misunderstood to mean we must all attend prayer meet at least once a month. (I think if we want to be legalistic – missing prayer meet is a SIN!) Yet Pastor said that he wasn’t forcing us to do that because what he really wants is for us to come once, taste and see that Prayer Meet is good and thus come again. Or regularly attend Prayer Meets.

The key is this – we must WANT to come… if we taste and see that Prayer Meet is good, we will WANT to come back again…

Thus what we really hope is – every member of CHS will WANT to come to Prayer Meet.

In the same way, what we really hope is – every Point Com Youth will WANT to go home early, dress sensibly, refrain from drinking alcohol, make friends carefully and date responsibly.

Now, if you DON’T SEE THE VALUE of going home early etc, of course it won’t be easy to abide by the rule. (especially since there doesn’t seem to be any punishment for breaking the rule!)

So, the question is, What is the Value? Where is the Value? Do I get anything out of it? (Ok… Can’t you do something because it is right but doesn’t seem to benefit you? =P but this question is not impt). Why must I do it?

I think that its always hard to follow rules when our focus is on the Sin… 

i.e. The Rules say DON’T DO THIS. 

If you do it, it’s a sin, its wrong etc. Let’s turn it around.

Let’s focus on Love. We all like to talk about Love… feels better… Our focus should be on Love. Love says DO THIS.
Jesus said If you LOVE ME, keep My commandments.

So the question dear youths, dear church members, dear me, is - Do we love Jesus?

“Wah, you win lor Ps Ben. So if I don’t follow the rules means I don’t love Jesus lor…”

Well, the Bible says Honour your Father and Mother… That’s a commandment… do you love Jesus? If you do, you’ll keep this commandment.

Dress sensibly? “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! – Matthew 18:7
So how? Do you love Jesus?

I was led to this passage during Pastor’s sermon. John 21:15 – 17

The main focus was this question – Do you love Me MORE THAN THESE?

Whenever you fail to see the point of doing something that curbs you, when you have to do something that restricts you and you haven’t seen the point of WHY, remember that Jesus asks this question of all Believers – Do you love Me MORE THAN THESE?

More than what?

Son, do you love Me more than your freedom? That you would choose to go home early and spend time with your parents and family. That you would pray for them that they may come to know Me. That you would do your best to present yourself as a good testimony to My name.

Daughter, do you love Me more than the attention of the boys and men around you? Do you love Me more than the desire to dress sensually? For you are worth far more than an object of desire. Do you know that I love you so much I gave up my dignity and life for you? So do you love me more than these? That you would dress sensibly. That you would dress to impress but not tempt.

Children, do you love Me more than your rights? That you would say alright, for the sake of those younger than me, I will not drink; I will be careful with the way I joke; I will be early; I will practice on my instrument; I will submit first to those You have placed in authority and seek clarification when I cannot understand.

As I mentioned earlier in this entry, Jesus asks these questions of ALL believers, young and old, lay and clergy, leaders and members.
How would YOU respond to Him?

With lots of love,
Ps Ben.

Below is an excerpt from Matthew Henry’s Commentary: John 21:15 – 17

Secondly, Lovest thou me more than these? pleion touton. 1. "Lovest thou me more than thou lovest these, more than thou lovest these persons?" Dost thou love me more than thou dost James or John, thy intimate friends, or Andrew, thy own brother and companion: Those do not love Christ aright that do not love him better than the best friend they have in the world, and make it to appear whenever they stand in comparison or in competition. Or, "more than thou lovest these things, these boats and nets--more than all the pleasure of fishing, which some make a recreation of--more than the gain of fishing, which others make a calling of." Those only love Christ indeed that love him better than all the delights of sense and all the profits of this world. "Lovest thou me more than thou lovest these occupations thou art now employed in? If so, leave them, to employ thyself wholly in feeding my flock." 

So Dr. Whitby. 2. "Lovest thou me more than these love me, more than any of the rest of the disciples love me?" And then the question is intended to upbraid him with his vain-glorious boast, Though all men should deny thee, yet will not I. "Art thou still of the same mind?" Or, to intimate to him that he had now more reason to love him than any of them had, for more had been forgiven to him than to any of them, as much as his sin in denying Christ was greater than theirs in forsaking him. Tell me therefore which of them will love him most? Luke vii. 42. Note, We should all study to excel in our love to Christ. It is no breach of the peace to strive which shall love Christ best; nor any breach of good manners to go before others in this love.

The Beginning of Mirth

I'm supposed to be studying for my New Testament exam... but i have to blog about this...

I've been doing a lot of thinking and pondering about life and belief etc. In part because of what i'm studying now and partly because of the discussions i've been having one on one with a couple of friends.  The consensus is that if we spend too much energy simply focusing on these questions and trying to figure out the answers, we'll go bonkers... which i don't deny... however, i still feel that it is possible to come to that place where we understand clearly, if not fully, what it is we believe about ourselves and God... or the Divine... etc...

But that has got absolutely nothing to with my title... hahaha... what happened was that i was carrying Joel, who was fretting, and i was just patting him but my brain was off thinking lots and lots of stuff - the above paragraph...- and then suddenly, i thought i heard Joel chuckle!

I looked down and saw that he wore the appearance of a smile on his face... his eyes were closed and i thought he'd gone to sleep... but there was this smile and before that, a sound and twitching of his body that sounded like a laugh...

and suddenly i thought... Is that the beginning of mirth? And then he did it again! He chuckled with his mouth opened into wide smile and for longer this time...  my heart was lightened immediately and i went as quickly as possible into the bedroom where Rena was and i told her Joel laughed! then i asked him to do it again.  But he didn't... and i haven't heard him do it since. Neither has Rena reported experiencing something similar...

oh well, i suppose it is apt to call this episode The Beginning of Mirth... since it is only the beginning and i hope that there will be a lot more to come... =)