Playing Our Part

Today has been fantastic! My house mate Jonathan delivered his first baby (he's a medical student); I met up with some good friends; listened to an awesome lecture on African Economics and did my fare share of study. That means free time to blog - WOOT!

I was reading Matthew 7:7-8 one day, it says "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

What hit me was not the asking, but rather the seeking and knocking part. I realized a lot of times we ask God for something but really don't set about looking for a solution or knocking on the doors. Sometimes we just wait and expect things fall onto our laps. I believe in the natural and the supernatural right? God does His part and He WILL perform miracles but I think we also need to do out part in the natural. We need to do the seeking and knocking as well.

My housemates and I (4 of us) are currently looking for a house to move in to next year. Now, imagine us going "God, please give us a place to stay!" and then just wait for a house to miraculously find us! We're praying (believe me =D) but we're looking online for the house, we're asking around, we're going to go for the inspections and we're talking to people - we're putting in the action.

Maybe we should start to include "Lord, teach me how to help me friend" in our prayers instead of just "Lord, help my friend". Let's learn to take action and partner with God in this journey. God is good and He will not disappoint us, but i was just reminded how important it for us not to be lazy too.

JC.

A Process

We all know that life is a journey. Sometimes we forget, but we are eventually reminded again and again.

There was this time in my life when I was eager to do everything INSTANTLY. I wanted to to be the best guitar player after a week of practice; i wanted to score the best marks after one study session; i'd want to lose all that weight from dinner after one jog around the park.

I would say that i didn't live the words diligence, faithfulness, patience, consistency in my life.

More and more I'm starting to realize that God works in us through a process. The Bible calls Him the Potter and we the clay right? And if we allow Him, we are going to get molded to be like Him. I found it really helpful to actually understand that this is more like a process than an exam which u pass or fail. Through every failure or success, God can turn it into good for us - to shape us to be more like Him. And in every situation we CAN choose - to be frustrated, worried, angry, pitiful or trusting, rejoicing, peaceful and loving. Most of us can relate to being in a position of this choice.

You know how you never truly know how safe a newly designed car is unless you do one of those crash tests? Similarly, maybe we'll know when have gotten over being a worrier when we can choose not to worry and trust God in the most difficult of situations. Difficult life situations can be opportunities for us to grow. Maybe that's why the Bible tells us to rejoice in various trials! Romans 5:4 says suffering leads to perseverance, which leads to CHARACTER.

We can lose our money, our reputation, our hair, our friends...but our CHARACTER stays with us. It is OUR character, and it's how we choose to live by Jesus and allow Him to mold us that will see us develop to our fullest potential.

And if we are the type that give up easily, it's time to stand up and not give up when it feels the easiest to. Hope this blesses someone.

I need to read this post over and over myself. Love You Jesus!

JC.

Romans 10:15

PlanetUNI Event on the 27th at Dallas Brooks Centre. It's going to be amazing! A celebration and an invitation to those who want to know more about Jesus. Come and see how un-boring He actually is. It's $5 per entry and starts at 7:30pm. There's going to be performances, praise and worship. Pastor Matt Fielder will be there to spice things up for ya! Presence of God will be there, it's going to be the best.

See u guys there!

Intimacy

To sum up, it's been a blog famine for me of late. =) So I actually haven't been reading blogs as well, let alone login to my own account and spend time posting.

However, I thought i should.

Intimacy - spending time with our Dad; chit-chatting; worshiping; listening; communing; loving; laughing; being transparent...whatever that word means to you.

How is our relationship with God going? Okay, let's put our tags as "leaders" aside for the moment. Let's not think about the amount of time we spend serving in church, practicing for worship services, or writing sermons. Let's forget about the number of people we're reaching out to.

Being a servant in the house and being a son of the House is a altogether different is it? (just learned about this at Inner Champ).

From out relationship with God, are we still entering His rest and Presence? Are we listening to what He has to show us? Does the thought of spending time with Him cause a spring to our step? See, I believe God wants us more than we can ever want Him. So much of the time we're like little brats who don't want to listen and think we know it all.

For those of us plagued by guilt, we NEED His Grace. Accept that we are not worthy (you prob don't have a prob with that), but also accept that His Grace is bigger than anything. The Cross is bigger than anything. Let's enter in everyday with that full assurance and confidence His Grace has given us. He's saying, "Come in and feast! Come in and hang out with me, the door is open! The curtain is torn; come, come! The entrance is free, it's been paid for!" See, we need to hold fast to that confidence and to be strong in the grace because the enemy will want to rob us of that. That will stop us building our relationship with God.

I constantly fight to keep my confidence in His grace. I'm not losing my relationship with God to the lies of the enemy anymore. Who's voice are we listening to?

JC.

Have No Fear

Got this from a devotional I subscribe to, I have to admit I almost don't read it at all but just thought this was really good for a lot of us. Let's declare His promises! Heaven and earth shall pass away but His Word shall remain yea? When we have no confidence in ourselves and in our situation, it's His promises than can uphold us. =) Be blessed guys.

JC.

Worried? Pray!!

So also is My Word. I send it out and it always produces fruit.

Isaiah 55:11 TLB

Are you worried today? If you are, begin these words until they take root in your heart, awaken your faith, and become your fixed attitude towards GOD! This prayer will bring results!

“Father, you told me not to fear, for you are with me. You will strengthen me, you will help me, and you will uphold me with the right hand of your righteousness. You said those who rise up against me will be confounded. (Isaiah 41:10-11) You also said that no evil would befall me neither would any plague come near my dwelling, for you have given your angels charge over me to keep me in all my ways. (Psalms 91:10-11) You declared that when I walk through the rivers of difficulty, you won’t let me drown. When I walk through the fires of oppression I will not be burned for you are the LORD my GOD. (Isaiah 42:2-3)

“You said that no weapon that is formed against me will prosper and that you will silence every tongue that rises against me in judgement because I am you servant. (Isaiah 54:17) You promised that if I ask anything according to your will, you would hear me and that I could have it. (1 John 5:14-15) You said I am blessed when I go out and blessed when I come in. (Deuteronomy 28:6) You told me to cast all my cares on you and you would take care of me.” (1 Peter 5:7)

Adapted from A Fresh Word For Today
by Bob Gass

There's More Than One Christianity?

Found this in my study Bible during my devotion yesterday morning.

There are 4 types of Christianity (3 are distortions):
Judaized Christianity (distortion)
Definition: Christians are Jews who have recognized Jesus as the promised Savior. Therefore any Gentile desiring to become a Christian must first become a Jew.
Danger: Tends to add human tradition and standards to God's law. Also subtracts from the Scriptures God's clear concern for all nations.

Legalized Christianity (distortion)
Definition: Christians are those who live by a long of "dont's". God's favor is earned by good behavior.
Danger: Tends to make God's love something to earn rather than to accept freely. Would reduce Christianity to a set of impossible rules and transform the Good News into BAD news.

Lawless Christianity (distortion)
Definition: Christians live above the law. They need no guidelines. God's Word is not as important as our personal sense of God's guidance.
Danger: Forgets that Christians are still human and fail consistently when trying to live only by what they "feel" God wants.

True Christianity
Definition: Christians are those who believe inwardly and outwardly that Jesus' death has allowed God to offer them forgiveness and eternal life as a GIFT. They have accepted that gift through faith and are seeking to live a life of obedient gratitude for what God has done for them.
Danger: Avoids the above dangers.

What type of Christian are we?

Love At a Distance

My friend Trili told me last night that she always gets her revelations in the shower, as in like enlightenment.

I totally agreed.

Today, it happened again! U know what i realized? In the shower. I realized (at least for myself) that it's actually quite hard to love people that are really close to me. Realize how easy it is to "love" and have "compassion" for the people in Africa but hate you little brother? By people close to me i actually mean people that know me inside out, people that know my faults, my past, my REAL me. Not the me everyone that I'm nice to knows, but the me when I'm sulky, when I'm moody, when I'm bad. I use to think that I'd have to go through the whole awkward stage when they'll say, "What's the matter with you? Why are you suddenly so nice to me?"

Ok for me, that's awkward.

But this is the deal. For people that I hardly know, people that I watch from the tram stop, people that aren't exactly close friends - I find it easier to "love" and be "nice" to. And i was thinking about it, about myself. Know what I realized? Of course it's easier!! OF COURSE!! It dawned upon me like a warm shower on a winter morning. ;)!

It's easy to love at a distance because we can FAKE IT.

Well, there's really no responsibility. We hardly come into contact with them, we don't really have to care for their problems. We don't have to bear their burdens, we don't have to be patient with them. We don't have to clean up their mess, we don't have to SACRIFICE anything for them. All we do is just have a nice feeling about them. That's not love! That's faking it. The Bible tells us not to love with hypocrisy. In other words, if we think we can love the people in Africa, we'd better start loving those around us.

SO RANDOM YET SO GOOD!

love (the irony),
JC.

Tongue-tied no more!

I have three nieces - Emily, Allison & Ella (they are in order =D).

This week, I received an email from my sister-in-law telling the family news of a miracle! It's just amazing. Apparently, baby Ella has been been suffering from a tongue-tie. She's about 6 months old now and is still breast feeding. Basically, there was a piece of skin underneath her tongue that restricted the movement of her tongue tip. Understandably, this has caused her and her mom difficulty during feeding. The doctor's advice was to "snip it off". After church on Sunday, my bro and sis-in-law decided to pray for her healing. It seemed after the prayer that baby Ella's feeding had improved. =). Later on in the week, my sis-in-law sought the advice of Ella's maternal and child health nurse. Okay, the nurse knew the GP who diagnosed the tongue-tie and how a tongue-tie looked like. The symptoms described by my sis-in-law also all pointed to a tongue-tie.

AMAZINGLY when the nurse picked her up, she saw NO signs of a tongue-tie! The following week after that, baby Ella seemed to be sticking her tongue out all the time, something which a baby with a tongue-tie would find hard to do! Now, that's a miracle! There's God at work right there in this present age.

For all of us pressing on for healing, restoring, provision and all that. Our God is mighty to rescue!

JC.

Pointing Up!

I've been wanting to write about this for a while. It sort of dawned upon me one day, the fact that we are like arrows. Actually, we really are aren't we?

The lifestyle we make us like arrows that point at some direction doesn't or at something doesn't it? Okay, I'm rambling on but bear with me. =). I think what we say, how we react to things, the things we do and don't do rotates our life arrow and where it points to. For example when I think of Martin Luther King, his life arrow seems to be pointing at the under-privileged blacks of America; when I think of of Mother Teresa, her life arrow seems to be pointing to God, hope and the needy in India; when I think of David Beckham, his life arrow seems to be pointing at fame, hairstyles and soccer. It's just illustration, I don't really know either one of them well enough to be making valid statements like that.

But imagine ourselves - regardless of our job, physical appearance, social status, abilities, achievements, living as walking arrows that point to a Creator. In all we do and say and act just pointing to hope that lies in Jesus! That would be awesome wouldn't it.

Are we pointing to God? Are we pointing the hopeless to the Hope? Are we pointing the sick to the Healer? Are we pointing the lost to the Purpose? Are we pointing the confused to the Way? Are we pointing the lifeless to the Life?

How obvious are our arrows? Are they tiny or are the so big you could see them from a distance? Do people have to spend a week with us to find out or just a day?

OR, are we pointing to the world? Are we pointing to ourselves? Are we pointing to other solutions?

Don't know bout you but I desperately want to be pointing up. There's enough of us pointing everywhere else already. =).

Sydney + Influence

Am in Sydney at the moment! woohoo! Been traveling with friends for the day and we just returned from a major shopping spree at Safeway. We're bunking at a backpackers that is pretty dodgy (it's mostly my fault for booking at xD!). Mom, if you read this, it's so dodgy you'd be worried. BUT! We'll be fine - it'll make Sydney more of an adventure! Hillsong Conference here we come! I pray that God will empower and charge us up ore so we can change the world for Him!

I just received an email from a friend back home telling me how one of my posts have been inspiring! I'm honestly just really glad! Okay, instad of blogging about powerful Godly influence which I know squat about, I guess I just really feel priveleged. That was my heart's desire and God is giving me that bit by bit. I want others to be inspired to live their lives for Him, to live lives the way it's supposed to be! As a disclaimer, I am very much on that journey of discovering life and living in His freedom as well. He never gives up on us so we should never give up on Him. Ahh! I just soooo feel like LIVING at this moment!! We so need Jesus we so do! He challenges, He heals, He gives LIFE!

JC.

Heart Glasses

Ps. Frank Damazio said this at a leader's conference last week:

"We see people through the glasses of our heart."

What does that mean? Well, if i could put a definition on it, it would be that the condition of hearts affect our view of people. A huge reason why I think the people around me are not friendly is because I see myself as being unfriendly. Why I think people are all snobs is because I am a snob and I hate it. Why I think people are not open to relationships is because I myself am not open to relationships.

I thought that ministered to me a lot. If it doesn't help you reason out certain issues, it'll help you realize a lot more about yourself. =). How are the people around you like?

JC.

Livin' A Dream

Was talking with one of my good friends today about dreams. Not the ones that happen during the night, but the ones that are carved in our hearts. I'm talking about the ones that give us an adrenaline rush, the ones that make us feel alive, the ones that sometimes seem only, at best, achievable in our imaginations.

We were talking about vision. We were talking about possibility.

I grew up loving soccer. Loved playing it, loved talking about it, loved watching it...etc. Like most young M'sian boys, I dreamed of being the best soccer player ever. I dreamed of dazzling the world with my skills, I dreamed of giving spectators the same rush my footballing heroes gave me. You could call that wishful thinking - but that was my dream. And it was valid too - who said I couldn't dream like that.

A lot of our dreams get crushed by "reality". We're taught to be more practical and pick better dreams - like being an accountant (nothing against them, just using an example). I mean..trade being the best footballer in the world for being an accountant? For those of us who have become the accountant, is there possibility for more? What happened to those dreams?

Different people have different dreams. Growing up, I realized that there's far more important things than soccer (at least a few! xD). I dream of making a difference, i dream of making a change, i dream of God's kingdom being established and brought down to earth. It's not shallow, it doesn't simply mean i want everyone to be Christians. God's kingdom means that there is freedom, overcoming, healing, blessing, provision, love..etc. My flesh tells me to forget about it and to get a uni degree and live and ordinary lifestyle. But something that God has placed in each of us tells me that there is more, and as we tap into the Creator there is so much more! He gives the dreams, He gives the vision! How it is concretely going to happen is none of my business just yet, but i need to allow my imagination to run wild first! If my imagination is limited, what can be done will be limited.

Let's start using word's like "if only..", "just imagine..", "what if..", "why not.." more. Let's not let our dreams die off, they are not ridiculous - most of them are valid. So many corporations, movements, NGO's & ideologies were birthed out or dreamers. God has called us to live an extraordinary life with Him! That itself sounds like a sweet dream to me!

JC.

How we playin it?

I read this at Border's one day -

"We cannot choose the cards we're dealt, but we can choose how we play them."

It speaks a lot doesn't it? I feel absolutely blessed and thankful for the family that I have, for the friends that I have, for the covering that I have, for the place in life that I find myself. I really do - His grace overwhelms me every time I consider my background and where I'm from. Simply by grace, I was dealt those cards.

We're often placed situations which we did not choose. Could be a physical condition, a friendship gone sour, a bad habit or bad parents. We don't get to choose the cards don't we? Fact is, we don't get to pick the aces. Some of us are dealt the 2's and 3's; some the 6's and 7's. We can't change the past, but we can change the future. We can make a difference. God can make that difference! No one can explain the cards we're dealt, but Jesus came precisely so there would be a way! He can flip our situation, He came to give hope. Being dealt with a set of cards, something we CAN choose is the way we play them.

Who said the player who wins with the best cards is the best player anyway?

JC.

Feedback

Hmm. I've been blogging for two weeks. It's been pretty fun + challenging to see what I can come up with so far, most of which are totally unplanned. Just thoughts that have come to me throughout the day or week.

Hope it's been inspiring + challenging.

Would absolutely love some feedback if it's not too troublesome. =). You can leave your comments on this post.

Thank you!

Me, Myself and (fill in the blank)

We live in a world where most of us are wired to think of me, me me & me. Oh no, I feel so bored! I feel tired! Doesn't anyone care about how I feel? Don't I matter? What about me? Me? ME?

Honestly, whenever I find myself falling into that sort of attitude I realize I am the most miserable person around. It's not because I am miserable, it's just because my thinking has made me think I am. And why? Because the focus is on me. Now, what's the problem with that? Ok Ok. Hear me out. Let me try to make some sense of this.

Jesus was asked how we were to inherit eternal life. His reply, "You shall love the Lord you God with all you heart, soul, strength & mind." Then He continues, "To love you neighbor as yourself." Love God and the people around us. It doesn't say love yourself and live, we are told to direct our love to others.

In Mark 8:35 it says, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me & for the gospel will save it."

I think what I've learned and the point that I getting at here is that when we start living out of sincere, action-filled love for God and for others around us we finally start to..well - live. This is what I've noticed, one of the best ways to get over our self pity is actually to give our love and help to someone else. It's as if we were made to function that way, and when we start functioning in a self-centered way we don't feel like we're fulfilled. I realize it in so many scenarios. Maybe that's why so many of the rich & famous are not happy despite riches and indulgences. Maybe that's why some of them be come philanthropists after - to live more like what we're made for - God and each other. You know how it feels so much better & fulfilling to give than to receive? Cause it's about another person being blessed, about being able to sow into someone's life!

The best way to help your problem is to help someone else.

See, it makes sense! The Bible makes sense on this one! It's the way a Creator has made us! That's how He is like - He gave His life for us to live!

JC.

=)

Life's Like A Snowball

I'm currently reading "Letter from a Skeptic" by Gregory A. Boyd. It's a collection of letters than were written between Boyd and his atheist father. I think he was atheist. They're in question and answer form, so it's one heck of a book. Needless to say, after much discussion and persuasion, Boyd's father believed in Jesus after 3 years of letter writing. So flippin cool!

In one of the chapters, Boyd made a statement (or at least one along these lines) that "Life is Like a Snowball." A snowball of decisions was what he was talking about - a snowball of decisions.

Ever feel we are our decisions? If we decide to be an angry person, we'll become an angry person. If we decide to be hardworking, we'll more likely end up being a hardworking person. Why a snowball of decisions? I think cause maybe the starting part is the awkward, the more difficult one. It's the one nobody notices because it's too small. But we realize as we've made decisions in the past, our future decisions seem to be affected by them. If we've decided to be hardworking, we tend to decide not to spend out time doing nothing - and we elimate activities in our life that our counter-productive. And so it snowballs...it gets bigger...BIGGER..BIGGER.

Hmm..maybe that's why there's the saying "Old dogs can't learn new tricks."

I think our decisions ultimately shape us and make us who we are. The longer we live, the more decisions we make based on our previous decisions..it snowballs. We end becoming who we are. And we become more difficult to change (this is my personal opinion). try unrolling a giant snowball. We become so settled - only God can change us.

JC.

Here comes the Bride

Think I've been MIA for a few days. Studies are all i'm thinkin about at the moment. It's bummer i know. But it'll be over soon and I can't wait! There's no rainbow without the storm right?

This blog post by Perry Noble..
Just amazing! Read it. It's for all us self-pitying/complaining/moaning/groaning ppl. THERE"S A BIGGER PICTURE! Time to size up!


Love,
JC.

Post-exam activities!

Had my first exam today, think I did alrite. 70% maybe?
Anyway, I can't wait for exams to be done already, but will need to focus real hard the next week. I've been making this list for a while - it's unedited! Actually plucked it off my lappie and pasted it here.

Thngs to do after exams!! =)
1) Make sure you plan your course
2) Ukelele
3) Job
4) PS2? (Ee Lin)
5) Hang out at Brunswick St

Books to read:
1) Unchristian
2) Soul Cravings
3) Honour's Reward
4) Sex God

Worry Wart.

I realize that when I am worried about something, especially something with regards to my studies, or my timetable, or my friendship or my feelings....it feels as if the world is revolving around me. And if my problem goes the wrong way, it'll feel as if the earth stops rotating, the stock market crashes and World War III is about to happen! Basically, i am not occupied with anything other than me - my situation! And these are only problems on a relatively small scale, just imagine what it would be like when those BIG things come along and hits me in the face (I'm trying to get ready for those. =D).

And were always taught to take our eyes of our problems and fix it on Jesus. Well, I've tried it and (*drumroll)...it works like a charm! The Bible tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) in our lives. Well, I always wondered how to actually do that..any takers out there? I mean, fixing my eyes on Jesus, which i cannot see might pose a bit of a problem.

Well i guess to put it into words, it would mean to think about who He is and how that relates to the problem we're facing. Another would be to remember how He was when He was on earth and see what He did/would do if He were in our situation.

This does a few things for me:
(1) It puts my problem/worry/concern into correct perspective - it is nothing compared to who God is!
(2) It takes away my fear - I have God on my side!
(3) It takes the burden off my shoulders - He has the solution and He'll take care of it (He'll at least teach me how)!

The Bible tells us to cast our cares upon Him because He cares! It tells us not let our hearts be troubled. It let's us know how small we are so that we understand if we have faith and trust in the BIG BIG GOD that we serve, we'll be okay, we'll be more than okay! At the end of lifting everything to God, we find ourselves liberated, free-er, lighter - finally able to think clearly again. Until of course the next thing comes about...which is fine because we've got Jesus the lifter or our heads!

I'm sure many us can identify with this. Please leave a comment if u can..just for encouragement's sake! Sorry if this post is a bit all over the place, i just had dinner (*burp). Cheers!

JC.

There's No Way Out!

In Romans Chapter 8:38-39, it tells us that we are inseparable from the love of God which is found in Christ Jesus. We are told that neither angels nor demons, nor the past nor present can ever separate us from the love of God! Nothing can! We’re stuck with it! There’s no way out! =). I believe this goes for every single human being in planet Earth.

Honestly, I think I have never been so sure and secure in God’s love in my life. Okay, it’s not that I’m totally secure (which I should be), but rather I have never been this secure. And it’s an awesome revelation to have! In good and bad times, we KNOW there’s a Savior that paid the price for us, and we know that we’re worth God’s time (or life) at least! And that goes for everyone.

Few random things I find myself going through:

1)I can’t feel His love

2)Where is He when I need Him?

3)He’s probably mad at me

This is just me. It could/would be different for everyone else. Okay, we could go all psychoanalytic on me and revisit my childhood tragedies to try to find out why. But really, we’ve all been through tough times haven’t we? Just in different contexts and severity.

For the first one, I’ve come to realize something. Since our relationship with God is a reflection of Father and child, this would be an excellent illustration. You know how we’re loved by our parents? Well, me not feeling loved by them doesn’t mean I’m not loved right? That’s just my problem, that’s just me not understanding and believing the fact that they love me. Similarly with God, I think I’ve come to grasp with the fact that He loves me even though I can’t always feel it. His love toward us is constant and unconditional, and that’s the truth I’ve started to learn to build on. Ps. Matt always says this, “Nothing we can ever do will make Him love us more or less.” In other words when I feel loved, it really isn’t because He loves me more. And when I feel un-loved, it really isn’t the opposite either.

Our emotions/feelings fluctuate and change; His love doesn’t. That’s such a relieving thing to know and live in. =)

JC.

The Author

A bud of mine told me recently that he was praying this prayer, or a prayer along these lines, "God, You're the Author of my life. God, You're the Author of my Love life." (you know who you are, thanks.)

He is the author of our love life. Yes, and by that i mean relationships. =).

God has the world in His hands. Being our Father, He knows how you and me feel. For those of us struggling with singlehood or with a decision, He is really the best Advisor/Counsellor. See, this is what happens. The minute we start to making drastic decisions based on emotions (and who hasn't been guilty of that!), things start to get messy. And I understand that everyone makes mistakes and everyone can learn from them.

But i guess what I'm really getting at is not that. It's the fact that we actually trust in our Father to know that He is control of the area of relationships too. He can see what we cannot see and He has the utmost best-est best plan in store for us. That's my Dad, that's the God that the Bible tells me. Don't know about you, but I think emotions can really muck us up if they're not seen in the proper light. So when it seems that there's a switched on blender going nuts inside our head and heart, it is times like these that we really need to get our eyes of our situation and onto Him, the Author of our love life (Okay, this is getting a bit too sappy even for me). Times like these, we need to trust and believe that ALL things work our for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose! We need to KNOW and BELIEVE and WALK in that belief. We have to, because He has got to be real even in these situations! In fact, I would say times like these would really test how much we actually take God's Words as the truth.

Let Him write the story, let Him put the pieces together, trust Him enough to do it. At the end, we'll have stories that is not just about us, but really about a faithful God who never ever fails. Let Him write the story, I'm sure He has the better endings. ;)

On that note here is something fun/informative for the single dudes by Perry Noble. And this is for the single ladies.

JC.

Volunteering at BW

Spent a whole day today volunteering for Beautiful Women 2008. It was awesome for the girls, i'm sure it was such a blessing to them! Got to rub shoulders with the likes of Ps. Russell, Ps. Sam, Ps. Henry..etc. It was cool, and just really meet some amazing people as well!

Aight, for those who are puzzled - Beautiful Women is an annual women's conference held by Planetshakers. We really believe that God has called for us to hold this event, the effort, preparation and prayer put into it is just says it all. It is the second most important event after PS Conference, that's how BIG it is! Ps. Russel and Ps. Sam really want to see the women in our church and also from elsewhere really understand the heart of God as women of God.

During the worship sessions, a few of my volunteer buddies and I snuck in to the sessions. One of em went and came out just absolutely beaming. He said, "It's crazy in there! I could just so feel God responding because of their desperate cry! My bulu all standing up (in proper English, that means "I had the shivers.")! You can only get this at a women's conference, guys have a bit too much ego to be desperate."

Alright, guys out there. Whether you are desperate or not is really for you to question yourself. But as the women being desperate today, i totally agree. Our father just really really responds to that desperate cry so much! Something we have to learn maybe guys? Something to realize?

Gotta go crash. =)
JC.

More.

More. That word..it holds so much. It carries excitement, expectancy, possibility, hope.

Have you ever wondered whether your life could be more than what it is today? Okay, I'm going to be really honest here. I've thought to myself many times over about how different my life would be had I taken hold of opportunities that come my way. God is in control of everything, I know that for a fact. He's so faithful and powerful, there's no way He's out of control (despite what popular opinion is). I choose to believe that. But I can't help but think I've missed many an opportunity in the past where's He's allowed me to tap into that more.

The beautiful thing is that He is able to see what we cannot at the moment. He knows our capabilities, He knows our full potential. And that includes non-Christians by the way (just in case we think we're that special). So, to realize that potential we've so got to tap into Him right? God doesn't see us the way our parents, our siblings or even our friends see us. He sees past the weaknesses and focuses on our potential. I mean, when he called James and John to drop their nets and follow Him; when he asked Matthew to follow Him - He saw their potential. To everyone of us humaniods, they were just a couple of fishermen and a tax collector. But! They followed Jesus and see where He took them? More. From fishermen and tax collector to apostles and writers of New Testament books. Now, they are forever remembered by Bible readers! More.

Our God brings hope. Jesus saw enough in you and me, enough value in us worth dying for. He saw a potential in a life that could be lived out abundantly by following Him, he saw the possibility in us we couldn't see! My Pastor Ps. Matt says this a lot, "To Him we are not worthless, we are priceless." He did not come to give us value, He came to show us how valuable we are.

Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you....plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I need to so live in this. If not I'll be less of a blessing of what I could've been. Maybe God made me to be more?

Food for thought right there.

JC.

Petrol Price Hike

Well, today it's been bad news for those back in Malaysia -
petrol prices have been hiked to a high of RM2.70 per liter.
That's really bad news.

My housemates and I were just talking about it just now (their actually playing Street Fighter now, -_-*), and it just sort of occurred to me(again) how difficult and uncertain life can be. Jia Ren was asking us to be prepared and aware for the worst. According to him, we can expect protests and stuff. Now if I was a young adult just about to enter the work force and earn a living, it would be a really nerve-wrecking situation.

On the flipside, I'm actually lying comfortable on my bed in Melbourne busy studying for my finals. Things are going well and (besides my studies at least), there's not a worry in the world. Now, that's where I think I'm wrong. Jia Ren was saying how fortunate and blessed we are, and I totally agree. But this always makes me want to give more, to bless more, to contribute more.

I was just saying this to a friend, "Circumstances in life can either break us, or make us." And thinking about how difficult/uncertain/awkward the future can be, this statement takes on a whole new depth. But, it is still so true. Jesus tells us not to worry; the Bible tells our hearts not to be troubled. We are told to have faith and believe for providence. "Trust. That's my problem", one of my friends said. But really, that's the only certain thing we have, and that's found in Him =). That's why i love Him, Jesus brings all the hope of the world! In the midst of all this, we have His Words to hold on to!

Back to the statement about circumstance, I want to let it make me, not break me. It's a choice really. Once in a while, we come across people who overcome the odds and they become heroes. I want to live that type of life - Jesus lived that type of life.

JC.

This Blogging Thing

Well, what started me blogging again? Is it a source of procrastination (Ben, u must like this one)? Is this my journal? Is it an outlet for me to vent out my frustrations? Will I be a different person on "Life As It Is."?

Think what really revved me up again was really the inspiration i got from other blogs. Really good ones (Check my frequent visits out). As my good friend JonathanC said, "You see the impact it brings leh?" =). Yea, i think i do.

So, I'm not going to be the type of person that reveals his inside for the world to read. I want to be as real, I want to be as honest as I can. My insides are for God, family and friends. I've had a friend say she didn't like talking to ppl on MSN because they could be thinking and typing things that are the total opposite.

Okay, neither do I want this blog to be about me, myself and James. Let's put it this way. I don't want to feel pressured to blog (like today) everyday, cuz that's not inspiration, but obligation. Hopefully, things that I go through in my life that I think are encouraging and helpful can help you. Hopefully, this can inspire you that bit more.

If not, I hope it's a good read anyway, =). Plus, blogging should be relaxed.

JC.

Conversation with Andrew (my roomie)

Andrew: "I'm thinking about life, how everything is just so futile. Just life in general. Is studying is all I'm living for I would have given up a long time ago. Man, for people who just live for studying and for material possessions, don't you think it's just so sad? Hmm..this is a good train of thought."

I know. So true. Thank You Lord that You have given me so much to live for. Jesus has brought meaning to us, He has given us such hope, such a future. As we give our lives to Him daily, we really are allowing Him to lead us on. And allowing Him to take our life is really the biggest most amazing adventure ever - one that lasts for eternity!

Know what, I want to be a person that doesn't let life get the hold of him. But rather takes life and LIVES it.

By the way, we broke out laughing minutes later. Andrew was reading Song of Songs, it said this: "...the curves of your thighs are like jewels..." For everyone who doesn't know, yes, this is from the Bible, THE Word of God. See God is interested in sex, which He made for marriage. We had such a good time laughing though.

JC.

Mercy & Truth (Love and Faithfulness)

Proverbs 3:3

Let love(mercy) and faithfulness(truth) never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.

This verse says soooo much about the things we (or maybe it's just me) lack today. If only we could love more generously, and be more faithful in every sense of the word. If only we could be more merciful, and really love and seek after truth, clinging on to it no matter what. I feel life needs these elements so desperately. Sheesh, there's a whole lot of reflecting left to do. =)

Back to study Finance.

love (haha, talk about application),
JC.

Album Launch 2008

Planetshakers had their Album Launch today! "All For Love" 2008 is finally out! Bought myself a copy in no time.

It's so true though. The only reason Jesus paid the price was because of love. John 3:16 - For God so loved the world.

The world's messed up. There's poverty, disease, circumstances... It's filled with people like you and me, ordinary people like you and me. There are the proud ones, the kind ones, the poor ones, the rich ones, the hurting ones, the popular ones, the sick ones, the ignorant ones, the greedy ones, the kind ones...(u get the point). Well, i always catch myself complaining or criticizing people and places alike. Now, this is what blows me away, God loves every single one of us. Yes, that's includes the people we criticize; yes, that includes the people we think didn't deserve to live; yes, that includes people like you and me.

But He so loved us.. He loved us to death. Help me out here, but I'm guilty of diluting God's love for us a lot of the time. In fact, most of the time it doesn't make much sense. But i mean, just the thought of a Savior that came to rescue - it carries such a weight of hope.

That's right, He loved/loves/will love you and me that same wherever and whenever. There's no condemnation but rather a Way that is presented. And it was because of love - the single most powerful driving force found human beings.

JC.

In His shoes

Just came back from a friend's Birthday. Happy 19th Bernie! It was a pot luck, me and Jia Ren (ma housemate) did our part of course. Wicked Wings to the rescue!

Been studying a lecture and a half of Developmental Psych. Can't take those theories any longer!! Well, guess longevity isn't their issue anyway. They've been around for ages. Had Urban Life today. 8 people came along and we had lunch at Universal Pizza ( pizza place down Lygon St). Then we headed over to the park for the quickest UL ever! Well, I shared about honoring God throughout this exam periods, as in to still give Him absolutely number one priority. I thought it was well received. Believing the Holy Spirit spoke to each individual appropriately, =).

Just really got me thinking - our relationship with God. I was using the illustration of parent and child during the message. Let's just be the parent for a minute....Imagine our child being to occupied with life to drop a "hey, dad how are you?" or "You wanna go hang out somewhere?" I mean, being too busy to hang out? That's just not cool. I'm so guilty of that at times. Show of hands if u can relate to this..

Just a thought (and I remember talking to a friend about this before), isn't it crazy how He created the institution of a family to help us to be in His shoes? I mean, to feel like a Father is to feel like Him. Love between husband and wife reveals that passion, that selflessness, that honesty.

If only we could understand how it feels, if only we could put ourselves into His shoes more often. It would help us understand a lot more of His heartbeat wouldn't it? It would probably make a lot of things easier too. Just a thought.

Blogging is worth it (trying to feed myself some positive reinforcement). =).

Hmm.

Know what? I've inspired to start blogging again recently. Even if no one knows. Let me get into a habit.

JC.