People Blog I Oso Blog: 2012

Giving Feedback?

Note: This isn't about a restaurant :P - Hidden Meaning - Isi Tersirat - An analogy

You go to a restaurant and have some comments about the environment and more importantly, how the food tastes. Comments about improvement and addition.
You tell the people who work there.
They say they appreciate your comments.They don't see why they should change and they are doing well.
The impression you get is as if this was the reply " If you think you are so smart, come and work here lah" Or "Mind your own business"

The issue here is: I can't possibly walk in and make a change just like that. Yes, they have worked hard but improvements can be made.
I find people don't really like to receive feedback although they ask for it. (Or seem to encourage it).
So, people end up keeping quiet....shhhh. That's my concern.

Sounds familiar? Haha. I personally have gone through 2 different scenarios this year.

Note: I dare not say that I am in the right and my feedback should be taken seriously. I have so much more to learn in terms of getting the message across and taking action, instead of just using words :)

Encouragement through Listening

Being a Christian, it really really gets tough at times...listening to one sermon on Sunday may not be sufficient as we are bombarded 24x7 !!!!

Reading the bible, is one thing, but faith does come by hearing the Word of God, right?
What better way than to listen to sermons?

It can be a beneficial way to make use the time wasted when stuck in traffic jams.
Good also when your brain is jammed by the worries of life and such.

These are some examples which I have personally listened to and found encouragement / timely reminders:

http://www.intouch.org/broadcast/audio-archives

http://www.touchinglives.org/multimedia/audio-broadcasts/

If you wanna know how to download from these sites, ask me lah..

How Church has helped me...

I know, it is not the physical "church" which has helped me, but Jesus.

But to say that church has helped me, I meant the act of simply going just to stand,sing,sit and listen to sermons.

At times, I can see all sorts of negative things of the church, the people and her activities. Although there are lots improvements pending, I found that focusing on these negative things can rob me of my joy.

So many times, I felt that it was "useless" to go to church when I have "so many" other things to do.
But, so many times too, I find "God speaking"...ok, that sounds so "spiritual"...In plain words, there will be at least a few words which will touch my heart, be it encouragement or even rebuke or a simple reminder.

I find that I am not humble on many occasions when I criticize the church. Times like these show that I have pride. Again, there are definitely are irritating issues occurring, no church is perfect. But, sometimes, I find the problem is just simply ME.

This reminds me of an analogy. There are people who criticize the education system. We blame lecturers or teachers for not being good enough. Etc Etc. At the end of it all, we still had to take the final exams. We still had to leave the education world and start work.
Obviously, there are those who pass or fail in the exams; have "good or bad" careers.
Conclusion: We have the same general issues to face but doing well is still a choice.

So, in short, church has reminded me about things I forgot and helped me grow. When I needed to hear "those words", they did come. Hearing and then doing is another topic. But to not get to hear at all, that's not going to help isn't it?
If I stopped going, I would have missed out.

There are times, even when I was sleepy( physically or spiritually), I still received some of "those words" which "woke me up" at the right time.

Depression

Christians or anyone, can get depressed.

It is not wrong to get depressed. It is only wrong to REMAIN depressed.

Paul, who taught us to rejoice ALWAYS, sounds crazy ...
But, I'm sure he learned to say this AFTER all the unimaginable hardships he went through.

Elijah, was another example of a person who was depressed. David too, as we see in the Psalms he wrote.

While I pondered my next move, I decided to get help. This sermon shed some light about the issue of depression.

http://www.touchinglives.org/multimedia/audio-broadcasts/?showAud=398

Fellowship? ("Christian ones")

Just a thought about Christian fellowship.Why do we hang out with other Christians or go for Cell Groups , CF or any other name it is called?

What people call fellowship nowadays seem to be getting together with Christians to watch a football game, go to a Cafe and talk about ANYTHING BUT the glory of God. It's a huge shame that Christian's have lost such a huge part of their Christian pilgrimage in this age. (taken from somebody's comments at a youtube video http://bit.ly/RG7iW7 )

I find the above statement really true nowadays.
(I fail too) We may have a position, serve in church or be senior in church, etc. However, when it comes to fellowship, I observed that it is still easier to talk about every other thing than about God, His works, miracles, etc etc.

Christian fellowship is really lacking. It's not about being religious all the time. Lacking means when we don't have enough of it. There must be a balance.

Even on facebook, people will share Gangnam Style(which I haven't watched until now) but rarely share about the goodness of God. (may not be true, just from my narrow point of view)

From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. So, does it show that the lesser we talk bout God, we don't really have much of him in our hearts?
hmmmm..well, some people are quiet in nature. Some are doers of the Word although they talk less. Talking is just not enough, I know.
Faith acting out in works will be another topic.

So why do we need Christian Fellowship? Coz we need each other. We need to be encouraged. We need to know that others are running this race with us. Being a Christian does get really lonely at times.(nobody will tell you that rite????)

Guilty

Dear Christian friends,

Do you ever feel guilty that you don't share the gospel or the good news to your friends? Or is there someone who is in need of healing but you just don't dare to invite that person to church?

Just recently, there was an evangelist from India who does many miracles in Jesus' name. A friend's name came to my mind but I just didn't dare to invite him to church. Perhaps I was reluctant as he had gone once before for healing but did not receive it. This has really bothered me. Is my heart so cold?
The worst part, I had not spoken to him for quite some time.

On a related note, there was another friend whom I had known from university. I never really found the opportunity in our conversations to speak to him about God. All i could do was include him in my prayer request list(which i IGNORED for quite some time, sigh...)
Just last week, he came to Penang for a visit. He said that he will be leaving for the UK and won't be back for a long time. Well, I thought that it has to be "now or never". I was slowly getting into the topic of religion and eventually we started talking about it. Amazingly, he just became a Christian roughly 2 months ago through someone who "thinks the way he thinks".
From this, I can only conclude/assume that I wasn't meant to be the one who would lead him to Jesus.

Has the church become a place where we learn about plucking oranges(saving souls) week after week after week...BUT, we are happy to see just 1 or 2 oranges being plucked occasionally? Why aren't we ourselves plucking those ripe oranges? (ripe = those receptive or in need of the gospel)

What Is That to You?

I find this article very liberating.

There is some kind of high if we can just find someone less effective than we are. Ouch

“To love is to stop comparing.”

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/what-is-that-to-you-you-follow-me

After his resurrection from the dead, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him. He answered yes three times. Then Jesus told Peter how he would die—apparently by crucifixion. Peter wondered about how it would go with John. So he asked Jesus, “What about this man?” Jesus brushed off the question and said, “What is that to you? You follow me!” Here’s the whole interchange.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” (John 21:18-22)

Jesus’ blunt words—“None of your business, follow me”—are sweet to my ears. They are liberating from the depressing bondage of fatal comparing. Sometimes when I scan the ads in Christianity Today (all ten thousand of them), I get discouraged. Not as much as I used to twenty-five years ago. But still I find this avalanche of ministry suggestions oppressing.

Book after book, conference after conference, DVD after DVD—telling me how to succeed in ministry. And all of them quietly delivering the message that I am not making it. Worship could be better. Preaching could be better. Evangelism could be better. Pastoral care could be better. Youth ministry could be better. Missions could be better. And here is what works. Buy this. Go here. Go there. Do it this way. And adding to the burden—some of these books and conferences are mine!

So I was refreshed by Jesus’ blunt word to me (and you): “What is that to you? You follow me!” Peter had just heard a very hard word. You will die—painfully. His first thought was comparison. What about John? If I have to suffer, will he have to suffer? If my ministry ends like that, will his end like that? If I don’t get to live a long life of fruitful ministry, will he get to?

That’s the way we sinners are wired. Compare. Compare. Compare. We crave to know how we stack up in comparison to others. There is some kind of high if we can just find someone less effective than we are. Ouch. To this day, I recall the little note posted by my Resident Assistant in Elliot Hall my senior year at Wheaton: “To love is to stop comparing.” What is that to you, Piper? Follow me.

What is it to you that David Wells has such a comprehensive grasp of the pervasive effects of postmodernism? You follow me.
What is it to you that Voddie Baucham speaks the gospel so powerfully without notes? You follow me.
What is it to you that Tim Keller sees gospel connections with professional life so clearly? You follow me.
What is it to you that Mark Driscoll has the language and the folly of pop culture at his fingertips? You follow me.
What is it to you that Don Carson reads five hundred books a year and combines pastoral insight with the scholar’s depth and comprehensiveness? You follow me.

That word landed on me with great joy. Jesus will not judge me according to my superiority or inferiority over anybody. No preacher. No church. No ministry. These are not the standard. Jesus has a work for me to do (and a different one for you). It is not what he has given anyone else to do. There is a grace to do it. Will I trust him for that grace and do what he has given me to do? That is the question. O the liberty that comes when Jesus gets tough!

I hope you find encouragement and freedom today when you hear Jesus say to all your fretting comparisons: “What is that to you? You follow me!”

Learning to walk in freedom with you,

Pastor John

Materialist or Evangelist?

This is really tough topic to deal with. Please read with caution. I doubt many of you would even bother or have the time to read this.
However, I find it very true that these issues have always been there but people rarely dare to address it.

At the end, there isn't really a final answer until we get to heaven.

http://jcmblabs.hubpages.com/hub/Joyce-Meyer-Materialist-or-Evangelist

One comment I would add is this:
What about King David, Solomon etc? These are humans too and they were among the many rich people in the Bible. If we look at their mistakes and their "rich lifestyle" , how can we even take them as examples?

Carrying burdens

We do it in the name of love. But do we really have love? I hope I do.

It's always nice when you have the answers or can help others. But, when there are uncertainties, I FEEL the burden. It really weighs me down.

The expectation on a Christian seems to be higher and this is a burden too. There are also expectations of being a son, a friend, an employee, etc.

Sometimes, I just want to run away. I did "escape" by ignoring or getting caught up by the other things but these burdens are still felt from time to time.

complicated? hehe

tips-for-better-bible-study

http://pastormark.tv/2012/04/17/7-tips-for-better-bible-study

I would recommend you to listen to Christian songs through either of these websites: KLOVE or Amazing Grace Radio

Sometimes, I wonder what we are using our broadband internet for.
As we know, faith comes by hearing the word of God. So, this is a really good way to do this.

I've personally been encouraged countless times while listening to these stations. I'll give a summary of these stations.

KLOVE has a mixture of songs and talking by the DJs. Stories and other info are shared from time to time. Songs can get repetitive the longer you listen but I still find it OK because sometimes we don;t really understand the song until we hear it again or go through a related circumstance.

Alternative way to listen: use Windows Media Player to play this URL.

Amazing Grace Radio is a station I just found recently. It has so much less talking and has a wider variety of songs from the latest artists to the classic ones.

Alternative way to listen to this station: Link

Be really careful at what songs you listen. Some songs are really so not beneficial and emo. Lyrics are really important because words are powerful.

One example I can think of now: Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girls .
Really catchy but has useless lyrics.

CERTAIN OF WHAT YOU CANNOT SEE

It's weird how we humans can believe in God. This element of faith is amazingly mysterious. I wonder where it comes from. (from God obviously). But how? Either we grow into this faith or ignore it. Do I even know what I'm talking about?

Below is something written by Mel Lawrenz about this topic.

When my daughter was a baby and my wife would put her in my arms and leave the room, the baby's head would shift, eyes would scan back and forth, brow would wrinkle, and then-most certainly-came that cry of distress. A cry that cut to the quick. I knew that she was thinking, "Mom has disappeared. She is gone. She has ceased to exist. And I will never ever see her again." A baby does not have the cognitive ability to know that someone continues to exist even when the physical evidence is withdrawn. Babies cannot be "certain of what we do not see."

But give the kid a couple of years and he or she will understand that the doorway to the next room is not a monster's mouth swallowing up the next person to pass that way. He or she will even come to understand that Mom or Dad can be in Cincinnati or Los Angeles or London, and still exist; more importantly, that they still exist in relationship. Not being visible is not the same as not being. And sometimes your relationship with someone is even stronger when there is some distance.

"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).

"My Lord and my God!" Jesus replied, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believe" (John 20:29).

Just wanted to share a thought by a friend.
Not everyone will get the chance/privilege to fall in love. They may have to grow to love that special someone.

On a side note, I think that love at first sight doesn't work for many people.

What do you think?

Do you any of you still play monopoly? When I was younger, somehow I would play it when I had the chance. But, as the years went by, I kind of got of bored of it. I don't see a point in a game determined more by the dice than any other skill.

Monopoly Deal is preferable for me as I need to think and use some skills. This version requires strategy. If you can't win, you at least get to stop someone from winning. lolz

Anyway, back to the main topic. I wonder sometimes if we are satisfied playing church?
What do I mean by playing church? I think it means to just go with the motion - like moving according to the dice. We are so comfortable in our cozy buildings that we forget that the world needs us.

Aren't you "getting bored" of church routine? The 3S - Sing Sit Sermon ?
We go through the motions week after week (roll the dice and pass Go again and again). We hope that we do not land in trouble, we hope that things will get better - just like we hope to avoid landing on someone's property or to land on the property we want to buy.

Let me be very honest. I've gone through church routine for more than 20 years of my life. I know I've not lived up to the potential that God has planned for me. So, I'm guilty just like many Christians today. I believe the church is not a building - but a living organism. We need to think out of the box - stop playing monopoly sometimes and play monopoly deal.

Another issue here is, I can't play monopoly deal alone. So, if others around me don't wanna play with me, what can I do? I'm forced to go back and play the old monopoly.
Perhaps I need to look for people who would play with me.

Ok ok, I think many won't understand the most of my post but, that's how I am - complicated. And I think too much. :) It may not have turned out the way it is supposed to be but you can still feedback right?

Are you playing "ChurchPoly" or "ChurchPoly Deal"?

The Incredible Sulk

You'll never know when that "beast" inside will come out.
We try our best to live our lives the best we can but at times, things do get out of control.

I'm sure we are familiar with the real Hulk( Dr. Bruce Banner), who tries to avoid situations in his life that will make him change into that green beast. Don't you think we are like that sometimes? We tend to run away from situations/tasks/ responsibilities/commitments that are risky and may bring out that other side of us. However, we cannot run from these things forever, right?

Lately, the incredible sulk inside of me came out quite often. In times like these, I kind of lose sense or hope or purpose. It's weird. Many things I've planned this year have gone off track. The same old tests came, one after another.

I felt really disappointed as it is not just one thing that went wrong but it seems so many things came crumbling down. If you ask me, I may tell you 1 or 2 things but it's just really hard to tell others the situation you are in sometimes.
At times, I do realize that I've still got a lot to learn as "overconfidence" may have taken over.
I also recall lack of discipline or planning or even bad attitude/habits.
I observed that the same attribute being tested in all these problems is: PATIENCE

Thank God for a unexpected encouragement from a friend whom I have not chat with for a long time, who gave me the verse below:

Hebrews 10:35-36

³⁵So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! ³⁶Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

Seriously, there is no point in doing anything good or right or to be patient if there is no God.

I end with this quote by Joyce Meyer: 'Patience is not the ability to wait but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.'

Hey Christians, why you so quiet?

(From my narrow point of view)I find that Christians nowadays don't like to give feedback or talk about Christian stuff. You look in Facebook - majority are all about other stuff.
Some say " I love Jesus" on some nice picture or post but saying and doing is whole different thing.

I expect feedback but some people just don't want to reply/comment/feedback coz i may have posted too "long winded" questions/issues?

No, I'm not asking to talk about holy stuff all the time. But my dear Christian friends, where are you??

It's always easier to not start talking about difficult subjects as we fear that we lack the knowledge to answer.

If you watched House before, you'd think twice before arguing with him...haha.

I think some may not understand why i post this..but i'm gonna post it anyway

Oxytocin

This is gonna be a rare 18SX post. So, please read with caution. I think most of us are old enough to handle stuff like this, even if you are below 18.

Caution: Please do not believe everything that is mentioned this this picture as I do not have reliable proof.

Honestly, i do not know who to believe in, the article or any author who would be opposing this article.
I'm sure some Christians recall that there are sermons about "the soul-tie" or spiritual bond (i hate these jargons)..which, again, i know cannot be proven by science. It's like there is an invisible bond between 2 partners who have sex. That's why this "theory" is not really acceptable by many but somehow, I believe it.

I would like to set things straight. I obey God to honor Him. Yes, I totally fail in so many things but this particular area of sexuality is a big thing. God gave us rules for our own good.
For example, speed limits are put for our safety. But guess what, many of us still go over that limit and live til today. Maybe some got summons. But, there are those who met accidents.
Likewise, not all who who have "free sex" will show signs of being "mentally messed up". They may even be enjoying their life much more than others who are "patiently" waiting.
Just like how some people pay "duit kopi" or bribes when caught going over the speed limit. Some don't even mind paying the summons.
BUT, again, if harsher consequences occur (like accidents or death), who's responsible?

The above is a very shallow analogy, don't think too far ya...

Christians or not, humans are born with sexual "needs". It's not wrong to have them. It would be crazy to think that we Christians do not have the same urges. The thing I believe we can do is to reduce or avoid things that will fuel this urge when the time is not yet right.

The people who practice "free sex" are happy to believe in what they believe in, I am happy to believe what I believe in. (in fact, it's more of a struggle at times).
As a Christian I cannot boast that I am "pure"( I am a sinner and have impure thoughts too). I rely on the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Questions Christians should ask themselves

I recently went to a church camp and the speaker asked us 4 questions.

1) How long have you been a Christian?
2) When were you baptized in water?
3) When were baptized in the Holy Spirit?
4) How many lives have you personally led to Christ?

For me, Question 4 is the one which makes me feel guilty. I won't say how many I have led to Christ (perhaps the number is too small) . I believe there are times we do play a part by planting seeds.
Leading people to Christ is not to be taken as some kind of "sales target" or to be done to ease the guilt within.
Do we really think that these people need Jesus?

I don't want to judge but I feel many Christians have taken things too lightly (including me).
It seems our goals are just the same as the world.
-what's the next gadget to own?
-who will i date?
-who will I marry?
-how can i make my wedding grand?
-will i progress in my career?
-when can i buy a house? next car? next smart phone?
-can I get good grades to have a "brighter" future?
-what's the next drama or movie to watch?
-where's the best place to go for a holiday?
-what the next entertainment?

The above a just a few examples of our selfish ambitions.

Do we ask these questions?
-will i be able to help those in need?
-what about the poor security guard, toilet washer, Indonesian maid, foreign workers?
-does this person need a friend?
-will I share the gospel with someone this year?
-do i want to just want to live for me,myself and I?
-do i just go to church and other church activities?
-do I really serve or feel that it's enough that I've done my part?
-am I too comfortable now?

Aren't we saved for good works? We do not do good works to be saved.

Sometimes I feel that many of us feel that we are doing ok because we are serving in church and we attend church or read the bible, etc.
I think what's more important is that we bear fruits. But are we?

Faith without works is dead!

"Busy" Resting

I have been waiting for a day when I can peacefully sit down and blog.
But looks like that day may never come.

Just for those who still drop by, just to let you know why I have been so "busy".
Mainly, I was seriously affected by my job's workload + health issues (mainly respiratory). These 2 have taken lots of my sleep and impacted my health. There are other issues but I don't think I will mention this time.
No words can really describe the past many weeks.

Thank God. Things have settled down as I realize while going through all that, I was being "trained".
Life is an ongoing test. You'll never know when there will be surprise tests.
But some tests are really predictable, especially the ones we keep on failing time and time again.

Anyway, I've been learning to rest more. So, I am actually "busy" resting. Got to say NO to many things. Easier said than done coz during the past few weeks, I felt that it was beyond my control.

I looked back to "those days" and found that the dramas/shows/movies and games I played were really meaningless, especially the ones which kept me addicted.

I shall stick to 2 games: Football on the field and Pro Evolution Soccer on PC..haha

Planning

It's already March. How are your resolutions?
How's that dietary plan? Exercise plan?
I could somehow do some things I resolved to do in January. Then as February came, things somehow became harder to deal with.
My dumbbell is starting to collect dust and so is my bible. Both spiritual and physical exercise are important but these require diligence and planning. I find that my plans are not really falling into place as I would imagine.
Ever since I shared about a "Thankful Attitude" , my attitude was challenged non-stop. I dunno if I am being too conscious about it but things are just happening one after another.

It is said, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail"
I think I have lost control of my plan and I need to sit down and reflect.

MANY MANY TIMES, it is simply due to lack of discipline and doing things according to feelings.

Anyway, here is a sermon which I find is really practical and may be helpful.
Do spend some time listening to it.

http://marshill.com/media/proverbs-2009/planning

Reality

Back to reality, where many lessons are meant to be learned the hard way.

There are 2 teachers in life. One is Wisdom, the other is Consequence.
We can either do things right by learning from others or we can choose to do it the hard way.

Easier said than done. That's reality.
If we do things the same way, we may get the same results.

There are some testimonies which I have kept for quite some time. I believe we should share about the good things God has done in our lives.

Why a thankful attitude? Coz in life, we don't get everything we want. Life isn't fair. Sometimes, we didn't choose to be in a particular situation. We can find 101 excuses but actually, it's our attitude which will make the difference.

Back to my testimony.(which I didn't get to fully explain at Ignite on 18th Feb) I had always longed and prayed for a better hand-phone. Ya, I'm working but I have financial constraints. I did buy a RM300 china phone but it wasn't really what I wanted. So, i used it faithfully and hoped for someone to sell me their "better" hand-phones for a reasonable price. That china phone screen eventually cracked and I had to use an old nokia phone. Sigh...
To cut the long story short, someone gave me a used Blackberry. That one ended up spoilt. zzz :( I was so frustrated. But, that incident led to another friend deciding to give me a better Blackberry phone.(it was used only a few months btw)
Unbelievable? God does supply our needs.
And that friend was blessed with an iPhone (of coz that person was already aiming for it but blessings in that person's life was also given by God, coz He knows how to arrange stuff..cool rite...)

Well, it would not be complete to say that God gave me everything I asked for.
There is one thing I have always longed for but never got - a laptop. (although I did have a Pentium 4 desktop and eventually another better desktop)
Imagine this, I'm going to be 27 years old this year and I'm working for Dell (which is another testimony in itself) , helping people with their laptop problems every weekday BUT I still don't have my own laptop!! wow...
I was in University of Malaya without a PC for 3 and half years. Only in the final Semester, i brought along my old Pentium 4 desktop, which is only good for a few things but I had to live with it.
While in UM, I was always part of the technical and Multimedia team. Yes, I made videos for events etc. How??? By God's provision lah. I borrowed other people's laptops from time to time lah.
I also learnt to help people with their PC problems and that is one of the reasons I decided to join Dell.

Only God knows why. It was really frustrating after I graduated and came back to Penang. Why?? The only reliable desktop(the Pentium 4 one was really slow.....) in my home was not only used by me. My MOM was the competitor.
I taught her from time to time how to use email, messenger, Skype, facebook, youtube...So, she ended up wanting to use the PC too. I was working with Dell but financially, I still could not afford a laptop. I had to endure this. Imagine you chatting half way with your friend, then you go to the toilet or forgot to close messenger or facebook chat. Guess what?? If my mom is around, she like to cheekily kacau and chat with my friends. It's no big deal la but what if there are some private messages?? ahem...
Then when I want to blog or anything else, no privacy...ZZZZZZZZZ
It was tough. But I believe we can learn to live with it and honour our parents.

After working for 2 years, I finally assembled my own desktop for less than RM1000, still can't afford my own laptop.
But at the end of the day, do I really need a laptop?? NO.
So, I got what I needed.
We should stop giving excuses for things we cannot do. As you can see above, God still made things happen.
( Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.)

God does supply our needs and sometimes He also grants us the desires of our hearts if we delight in Him.
(Psalm 37:4)

One thing I also want to encourage all the youth is to start TITHING now. You are sowing seeds for your future!
In my home, there's an LCD TV, ipad2 and speaker system. All Free! We didn't need them and can't afford them but God does give stuff like these.

In conclusion, we all got to learn to have a thankful attitude. Life can be tough(it is tough) but God stands true to His Word. And yes, your ATTITUDE counts. I'm still learning and I hope you will learn too.

As you can see in the picture, The only disability in life is a bad attitude.

-AdrianBLim, 19th Feb 2012

Forgiveness is an issue we all face all our lives. It is generally very hard to forgive BUT it amazes me how easy some people forgive.

Let me explain.
I'm sure we understand those times when we find it so hard to forgive someone who "doesn't deserve it" .
But, what amazes me is how forgiveness is so easily given. Here's an example:
I'm sure we know of stories about how girls can so easily forgive guys who have a history of lying and sleeping around. These girls "know it" but somehow they just want to give these guys a chance. Yes, I understand we all need to give people second chances.
The question here is, is there a limit? What boundaries must be drawn? Should that girl let her guard down and surrender herself and risk being hurt?

Seriously, I don't know whether these girls fall so easily for guys like these? Izit because they are "stupid" or these guys have that charm?

BTW, "girls" (not all ar...) , don't be so cheap lah... the guy wants, u give..apala
"ForGive" doesn't mean "AllGive" ..lolz

The above is just an example. It's really tough coz I know I forgive because God forgave me.
I personally faced the "hard to forgive" situation (and failed) but I also have people whom I somehow feel I can forgive but the situation is just complicated as that forgiveness comes with other changes to my life and others in my circle.

Life goes on and we gotta continue to learn...

I'm sure we all ask this question from time to time.

WHAT IF:

i remain single?

i fail the exam?

God doesn't answer that prayer?

it doesn't work out as I thought it would?

all my hard work leads to nothing?

what i'm doing now is worthless?

this is not God's will?

It really is hard to answer questions like these.

To make this post as short as possible, i'll use some examples/analogies.

Let's say a friend laments: "What if I end up single for the rest of my life?

That would be one of the hardest questions to answer.
You want to encourage the person but you just don't know what to say.

It is a fact that many are single and some may "envy" those who are in a relationship. This may be the case of "the grass is always greener on the other side".
Or, sometimes we may feel that we are "better than them" but they are in a relationship and we are not.
Indeed, some people are just "lucky" to have "what we don't have". However, we should not let that be the EXCUSE.
I've seen so many people get married despite their looks, amount of money, or other attributes we think we need to have.
Saying more will make this post into another topic, so i'll stop.

Another example: People may say that working hard doesn't really mean that you'll succeed. Does that really mean we should stop working hard? I know we should work smart but sometimes we can only discover the smart way through the hard way.

Whether you want to put God in the picture or not, the principle of "sowing and reaping" and "the law of attraction" is somehow working in our lives. God is no respector of persons.

So, our actions, thoughts, and words will affect our tomorrow. Personally, with God in my life, it makes me more secure despite many things not going the way I want them to. Also, we all must not blame God for the situations we are in. Coz, many "bad things" happen due to our own actions.

What if we are really doing what is right but somehow we still don't see the results? The answer is WAIT. (Wait WELL, to be more precise but this is another topic)

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