Photo Time #2

A Korean dancer I saw today.

Our fearless camera crew officer surrounded by her team who dote on her every word!

The meal you see before you costs the following amounts:
$4.20 SGDSingapore Dollars = $2.66557 USDUnited States Dollars

Read it and weep all ye Americans back home...HAHA.

Photo Time

" And a little child shall lead them..."

A traditional Singaporean food court.

They laughed at something I said. Suddenly, I felt the urge to use a computer. Ahhh, the simple pleasures in life.

-_-

"...and David was greatly distressed....but David encouraged himself in the Lord..." (1 Sam 30:6)

(One must learn to do that for oneself every now and then.)

Untitled

Really, what else is there to do in this life?...

Oh, How I Love Jesus!

I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creation of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him. –Napoleon

Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander the Great, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon; without science and learning, he shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of school, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times. –Philip Schaff

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the Child of a peasant woman. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty, and then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never owned a home. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself. He had nothing to do with this world except the naked power of His Divine manhood. While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a Cross between two thieves. His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth while He was dying—and that was His coat. When He was dead He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend. Such was His human life—He rises from the dead. Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and today He is the Centerpiece of the human race and the Leader of the column of progress. I am within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that One Solitary Life. --James C. Hefley

Buddha never claimed to be God. Moses never claimed to be Jehovah. Mohammed never claimed to be Allah. Yet Jesus Christ claimed to be the true and living God. Buddha simply said, "I am a teacher in search of the truth." Jesus said, "I am the Truth." Confucius said, "I never claimed to be holy." Jesus said, "Who convicts me of sin?" Mohammed said, "Unless God throws his cloak of mercy over me, I have no hope." Jesus said, "Unless you believe in me, you will die in your sins." --Unknown

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.--C.S. Lewis

How was it that, even in the common tasks of an ordinary life, Jesus drew the praise of heaven? At the core of His being, He only did those things which pleased the Father. In everything, He stayed true, heartbeat to heartbeat, with the Father's desires. Jesus lived for God alone; God was enough for Him. Thus, even in its simplicity and moment-to-moment faithfulness, Christ's life was an unending fragrance, a perfect offering of incomparable love to God. --Francis Frangipane

Sweet~ness!!

I just found out the coolest thing about my Sony k750i mobile phone:

!...PANORAMIC SHOTS...!

Dude, I'm going to have a field day with this wonder of a phone.

Au Natural...

The Cosby Show!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE IT.

I helped someone move from their old house to their new one today. Working with my hands. Nothing complicated about it...here to there. Simple. There was a task, a group of people got the job done. Manual labor is a good thing...a very good thing. Clears the mind, works the body, ends with a "whew, a good day's work." Pencil pusher, I am not. Today's move was a welcome change of pace of life here...

I went home and did some work on my computer. Made a DVD for someone, emailed some peeps, cleaned me apartment up. Chatted with my sister for a while. She's dying to see me, and I her. But she retorted that because of the heat, cockroaches, and smells over here (of which I described to her in vivid language), she won't come. So she thinks...

Prayed for a while and learned that the name of God, which is Jesus, is only effective when we speak it out with the faith of the One whom the name represents. Speaking the name of Jesus over a situation does nothing if we think of it as a "magic" formula. Rather, we must know that when we invoke the name of the LORD, His presence is there immediately. But only if we act in faith and obedience.

Played an old Debussy song on my keyboard. My favorite one. Was lost for a moment there...forgot I was here. My fingers remembered the keys. Must practice more...

Finally watched an episode of the Cosby Show...my family's favorite family. I've forgotten what used to make me laugh...and still does. Watching the show, I heard the chuckle of my uncle, the smile of my cousins and aunt, the frowns and warmth of my mom and dad and sis, the many idiosyncrasies of black culture that I long to hold on to and not forget, the way "we" are. "Have I lost my identity, my culture, my personality all these years I've been away from home?" I questioned after the episode ended. Indeed, it's been a long time....a long time indeed to hear and see those who I can identify with. *sigh*....alas, they are behind a glass wall doomed to imagination once I click the "STOP" button. haha...

Today...I felt like myself again. It's been a long time.


And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
(Mar 8:34-35)

...I'm still trying to figure the full meaning of these verses. Is losing one's identity in this world full of different cultures, mindsets, lifestyles, traditions, etc. included? hmmm...inquiring minds want to know.


The other day, this woman met me on my elevator while we were both going to work. She was frantic! "Too busy, ah...so much to do. Singapore life very busy, ah. Everyone multitasking must do...too busy." (a short moment of silence ensues as our elevator goes from floor 6 to 1. She is carrying many bags, dressed very business like, but sweating and had eyes darting all over. We reach the bottom.) "The economy is very big now, so what to do except multitask? Very busy...to much to do." (the elevator opens and she rushes out) "bye bye!" I tried at every sentence to say, "Well, I suppose we all need to find that inner peace when going through our day." I never got a chance to finish my sentence. I tried about 7 times...7. Every single time she interrupted with how busy, stressful, and tired life is in Singapore now.

It's not the first time someone has expressed these things in my presence. I refuse to allow my life to become so stressful, busy, and whatever like that. I'm beginning to understand why people in Singapore say, "Relax, relax" so much. I've never heard that word used like this in my life! There was a little boy about to come on an elevator today and the doors began to close. He was about to get hit by it, so I let out a yelp and quickly blocked the door saying, "whoa, whoa! Come on little guy!" I couldn't believe it: his parents and some other people in the elevator told me to relax. I was like, "Relax?? I'm the one safe in the elevator, your kid was about to get crushed and you tell ME to relax? Ok, next time i'll let the doors slam on him and we'll see who's relaxed." ( I literally spoke those words as I was so taken aback at their reaction to me!) Somehow, I get the feeling that the usage of that word has different connotations over here than other places. Americans don't use it in this way, I never heard the word used in Japan like this. Well, I suppose Osim is doing their best. (btw, Osim is a company that makes Starship Enterprise looking massage chairs. They are awesome...a fellow bro and I sat in one for about 15mins a couple of weeks ago. $8000 sing dollars though. ahhh..)

I put my headphones on and walked towards my bus stop in the opposite direction. Inside my heart I wept for her. We weren't made for this kind of life...stress, fast-paced, busy, busy, busy, go, go, go...

Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart. And God's peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.
(Phi 4:6-7)

No rhyme or reason to this post.
Just a time and season I suppose.
(dude, that was supposed to rhyme...)

Learning to wait...and other stuff

~ten points to whoever can guess whose eye this is~

On Friday May 16th, our pastor taught a bible study about waiting. It was a long time coming...

A few notes:

1. "It [waiting] may be the hardest thing we are called to do."
How revolutionary in understanding! So many of us are caught up in our calling, our destiny in life. We pray, fast, and go to classes that help us find our shape. We experiment in ministry and service, both inside and outside the church to help groom our strengths and minimize our weaknesses. And so we should. But to say that we are called to wait is something none of us are comfortable hearing. In fact, it sounds almost contradictory in a way. "I'm calling upon you to sit there and wait," the soccer coach tells his youngest player as he sits on the bench watching the game. Game after game, week after week, this young man sits and waits and watches the other team members out there on the field playing the game he so loves. But his coach says...wait. He longs for the day when all the skills, training, and passion he has can be unleashed upon that pigskin! In his waiting he grows frustrated, torn between thoughts of bitterness at his coach, jealousy at his team members, and short-changed in life at all the years wasted. But one day, his coach says, "Now go and play." During the game he realizes that he's moving, passing, shooting, and reacting in ways he never dreamt of before. Why? Because while he was waiting he watched and studied every move of his team mates and the other teams so much that he had internalized it. Soon, he was the best player on the team.
His coach knew what he was doing, the player (at first) didn't. So many times I myself am that player...waiting on the bench as it were. And while I'm not an impatient person, I do wonder at times what good am I doing just sitting on the bench? Is my coach mad at me? Have I done something wrong? Am I really called to be a soccer player? Why are my team mates "soaring" while I'm not even walking?! (or so it seems) Which brings me to another point of the lesson:

2. "It is a hard thing to be a walker when you are surrounded by eagles. But sometimes walking is the best we can offer God. WALKING COUNTS TOO. Keep walking, because what we wait for is not more important than what happens to us while we are waiting. Now it is just a matter of time.”
Considering the plethora of experiences I’ve had in my life, it never ceases to amaze me that I feel like I know so very little about life itself. I suppose if I flew like the eagle from day one in the Lord I might quickly pass by the “stuffs” of life without much reflection or consideration or experimentation. I might crash, or bypass some elementary truth that produces great foundational strength, or I might aquire an attitude that says, “hmpf, you are beneath me [because I am soaring]…why should I come down to help you?” Yet I feel that because I have walked most of my way in the Lord I’ve had time to learn, to observe, to meditate, to be still…silent……to wait.
However, it is this arrival of maturity in understanding the blessed assurance of “waiting on the Lord” coupled with the contradictory behavior to this truth that sometimes manifests itself in my life that is of extreme frustration! One knows to do right, one knows the lesson, the moral of the story, the wise thing to do…and yet one continues to do or act the opposite! “Well, God is faithful…I know this situation is working for my good and is a blessing,” the woman said. Yet in the next breath she is complaining or has a downcast countenance about her current position in life. Her confession and her actions our out of sync. She is waiting for things to get better, but she is not waiting well…

It’s like this: a duck is a duck is a duck. The duck knows it’s a duck. Everyone knows it’s a duck, but the duck says, “Cluck, cluck” [for those of you who are scratching your head…chickens say “cluck”, ducks say quack. Yes, kindergarten WAS helpful.] In other words, when the duck acts like a chicken, it isn’t acting according to what it was born to be. Hence frustration…both for the duck and for those around the duck.

I come to this conclusion based on sporadic life events that have shown this conclusion to be true….for me at least. When I would act, say, or react in a manner that was a weak manifestation of my character or personality – living in fear basically – then the people or situation around me would look at me with otherworldly eyes as if to say, “Dude…why are you acting like that? Get a grip! Be strong! The reason I’m reacting to you like someone who has no respect for you, like a child, like crazy, is because YOU are not living up to your full potential in this moment.” To put it another way with an example:

A son rebels against his father. The father can’t understand why. The son WANTS boundaries, WANTS rules, WANTS warnings, etc. The son fears the power of his own self-will and free choices…he knows that if left to himself the road to destruction will be swift and unmerciful. But alas! because the father is not fulfilling his role as father – because he is acting different, contrary, or weaker than his calling as that father figure – the son rebels. In truth, the son’s rebellion is a cry for help, but because the father cannot seem to pull things together, rebellion continues. Irritation and frustration on both sides.

Wow…I think I hit on like 3 or 4 things in that last one. *sigh*…so much to say, so little time…so little outlets… anyhoo :-)

Ok, at this point I’ve lost all 5 or 6 of the points I originally intended to write. Suffice it to say this: (the moral of the story kids)

The Lord Jesus loves us so much that He will keep us in the crucible of whatever situation will bring about His character in us. We must learn to wait with patient trust, confident humility, and unquenchable hope in our savior. Ahhh…but what is it we are to wait for? For different people it may be different things. But one thing is for sure, one thing we must all attain, one thing we must all strive for. We must wait until the reflection of our Lord’s image is formed within our lives. The ultimate destination of the Christian is Christ-likeness. It is Christ’s goal to renew our minds and lives until we are found to be as He originally intended:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (gen 1:27)

That’s what he wants folks. And it will take the waiting, the tears, the sweat, the adventure of faith, the labor of love, and the endurance of pursuing truth to get there.

I for one have traveled on this journey in pursuit of my God for a very long time. This I say to you: Do not walk behind me, I may lead you the wrong way. Do not walk in front of me, I may not follow. Walk beside me, and let us together follow the Way, the Truth, and the Life and wait with great expectant patience for Him to guide us along our life. See you at the finish line...

Ganbatte everyone….ganbatte in Jesus’ name.

I finally understand...

For all the strong, caring, ultra-enduring women who brought me up (hi mom and aunties!), I finally know what you meant when you said...


WORDS WOMEN USE....

FINE This is the word women use to end an argument when they feel they are right and you need to shut up. Never use "fine" to describe how a woman looks - > this will cause you to have one of those arguments.

FIVE MINUTES This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes that your football game is going to last before you take out the trash, so it's an even trade.

NOTHING This means "something," and you should be on your toes. "Nothing" is usually used to describe the feeling a woman has of wanting to turn you inside out,upside down, and backwards. ''Nothing" usually signifies an argument that will last "Five Minutes" and end with 'Fine'

GO AHEAD (With Raised Eyebrows) This is a dare. One that will result in a woman getting upset over "Nothing" and will end with the word "Fine"

GO AHEAD (Normal Eyebrows) This means "I give up" or "do what you want because I don't care" You will get a "Raised Eyebrow Go Ahead" in just a few minutes, followed by "Nothing" and "Fine" and she will talk to you in about "Five Minutes" when she cools off.

LOUD SIGH This is not actually a word, but is a nonverbal statement often misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot at that moment, and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing"

SOFT SIGH Again, not a word, but a nonverbal statement. "Soft Sighs" mean that she is content. Your best bet is to not move or breathe, and she will stay content.

THAT'S OKAY This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before paying you back for whatever it is that you have done. "That's Okay" is often used with the word "Fine" and in conjunction with a "Raised Eyebrow.

GO AHEAD. At some point in the near future, you are going to be in some mighty big trouble.

PLEASE DO This is not a statement, it is an offer. A woman is giving you the chance to come up with whatever excuse or reason you have for doing whatever it is that you have done. You have a fair chance with the truth, so be careful and you shouldn't get a "That's Okay"

THANKS A woman is thanking you. Do not faint. Just say you're welcome.

THANKS A LOT This is much different from "Thanks." A woman will say, "Thanks A Lot" when she is really ticked off at you. It signifies that you have offended her.

It's Ok to Cry

And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or not. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live....Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end.
(Deu 8:2-3, 16)

Someone once asked me something along the lines of whether or not I ever thought of giving up this journey I'm on with the Lord my God. If I ever had doubted His existence, if I ever thought of throwing in the towel. A good question indeed, but one that has always and will always have one single, solitary, impenetrable answer...

...never.

Have there been tears? Of course! Are there tears? Of course! Will there be tears? Of course! Did not King David make tears his bed? Did not Jesus weep at times? Did not Paul cry over the churches he himself planted and cared for? O reader, be not ashamed nor afraid of the heartache that may...rather that will come along your pursuit of He who is the Creator of your soul. Look to the words written to the children of Israel above. The deserts and wildernesses of our lives come so that, "...he might prove [you], to do thee good at thy latter end." Do you believe this? Consider Romans 8:28

In the words of a brother and sister duo whose music I totally enjoy:

"It's Ok to Cry' by LaRue

God will save you boy, you just have to believe
that beautiful things work out, from broken times just like these.

God could save you girl, in this desert time of need
lay your ashes down, in hope of what you will see....you will see...

It's ok to cry, it's ok to wonder why, and as your tears fall down, they heal the ground,
a place that once was dry.
It's ok to cry.

God will save us now, let His presence bring us peace,
lay your burdens down, let them fall at His feet....

Your fears are great in your mind, your heart just aches for a sign,
but there is hope, there is grace, in these gray skys!

It's ok to cry, it's ok to wonder why, and as your tears fall down, they heal the ground,a place that once was dry. It's ok to cry.

http://www.laruemusic.com/start.html

I can't believe it...

This is the actual name of a store here in Singapore. They sell swimwear.

I couldn't work there just because I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face when answering the phone.

"Hello! Thank you for calling ----------. How can I help you?"

dude...

(notice there is no one behind the counter. If fact, there was no one anywhere near or in that store. I rest my case...)

"There is no God," he said.

His argument is amazing, to me at least...

My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? If the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z, so to speak, why did I, who was supposed to be part of the show, find myself in such violent reaction against it? A man feels wet when he falls into water, because man is not a water animal: a fish would not feel wet. Of course, I could have given up my idea of justice by saying that it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too--for the argument depended on saying that the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please my private fancies. Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist--in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless--I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality--namely my idea of justice--was full of sense. Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.
--C.S. Lewis

A Long Time Coming

The other day I saw these magnificent cloud patterns in the sky as I walked home from work. I did something I haven't done in a very, very long, long time: stop and look at them for a while.

I think if we allow life to become so stressful that we forget to relish in the beauty and glorious creation that our Father has created for us to enjoy, then we miss out on a great deal of abundant living that is promised to us. The world I take no note of, the earth, however, is my Daddy's playground for me to enjoy. And I like having fun every now and then...

(...would to God there was a mountain or lake around here...haha)

LOVE & COURAGE

The Singapore Mountains

It is wonderful how much time good people spend fighting the devil. If they would only expend the same amount of energy loving their fellow men, the devil would die in his own tracks of ennui. --Helen Keller

I think that of all the diseases in the world, the disease that all humankind suffers from, the disease that is most devastating to us is not AIDS, it's not gluttony, it's not cancer, it's not any of those things. It is the disease that comes about because we live in ignorance of the wealth of love that God has for us. –Rich Mullins

To fall in love is easy, even to remain in it is not difficult; our human loneliness is cause enough. But it is a hard quest worth making to find a comrade through whose steady presence one becomes steadily the person one desires to be. -- Anna Louise Strong

If you have love, you don't need to have anything else, and if you don't have it, it doesn't matter much what else you have. --Sir James M. Barrie

You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget. --Jessica - age 8

Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.—Mark Twain

Everyday courage has few witnesses. But yours is no less noble because no drum beats for you and no crowds shout your name. --Robert Louis Stevenson

We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. – Plato

I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure, which is -try to please everybody.--Herbert Bayard Swope

There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. -- Henry David Thoreau

From here: http://www.tentmaker.org/Quotes/quotesindex.htm

Recent Observations

chairs.

1. My hopes for spatial awareness is waning here in Singapore. I was carrying an injured friend towards the only bench in site at Hong Lim. Lo and behold a child (bless his heart) saw us coming and...in a quick flash of magnificent reasoning...proceeds to move "out of our way" right in front of the bench totally blocking our entry trajectory. It wasn't until we were about to sit my friend literally on top of this kid that he really moved out of the way.

2. The past few days have been really, really beautiful at night. I've slept like a baby..I mean rock hard. Ok sure, I've used my aircon too, but it tells me something: hot weather + me = oxymoron.

3. It's weird working at a Japanese school. I'm a foreigner in Singapore. Then, I'm a foreigner working at a Japanese school. A foreigner in a foreign school that is foreign to the country it's in. eh? Sometimes I look outside the fence from my school and see Singapore "over there." I leave one country to enter another when I leave work. Weird feeling. Now when people as me where I'd like to go on vacation I say, "Home."

4. I've come up with a new definition for what a blog is: a place where long-winded, heavy-handed, slow-speaking, way too wordy, pensive, wanna-be writer, too lazy to use a paper and pencil people can exercise their ability to be themselves for a little while. No wonder I think about things during the day within the context of, "hmm...I should blog about that." I created an online journal once when I was in America that consisted of church friends and other interested parties. We'd throw out a question to the group via email and everyone would respond either by email or on the group site (R.I.P MSN site). I still have print-outs of our discussions and they were looong and many. Oh, how I miss those discussions! If I had it my way, I'd love nothing more than to have a group of people to study, discuss, and deliberate on the Word of God all day, everyday. I suppose that's why Proverbs is my favorite book. What else really is there to talk about except Jesus Christ, His purpose, and our future homes...while eating pepperoni pizza and sippin' on ginger ale. :-)

5. People start acting really funny around you when you are slapped with the title of "boss" or "manager" or "head." I bet it's not unlike the feeling those teenagers got in that movie "Nightmare on Elm Street" when Freddy Kruger would show up. Yea, something like that...

6. I think one of the most difficult things to do in life is to be yourself. I think one of the easiest things to do is to misunderstand those who do so. A quote to consider:

We do not learn to know men through their coming to us. To find out what sort of persons they are, we must got to them. –Goethe

7. It's getting hot again as I type this...

8. Except for the expensive shoes, pressed shirts, and buckets of make-up, people are just like sheep when boarding buses and trains all over the world. The beeps when we get on the buses just crack me up even more. It's like an assembly line! I'm going to start carrying a sound FX machine and play some sheep sounds when getting on the City Hall MRT at 6pm...haha.

9. I just found out there is a new Subway shop opening really, really close to my house. I knelt down in front of it and said, "Thank you Jesus." (no really, I did)

10. It always tickles me when I see people googling at themselves in the windows at the MRT stations or wherever they can steal a glance at themselves. I always think, "What are they looking at? They've seen that their whole lives."

11. I miss my students of my first year teaching back in the states. I was thinking about them today and how we all got to the point where I felt comfortable telling them that I loved them. I mean, this was a public school. Teachers don't go around telling their students they love them. But I did. And they knew it. And they trusted me, and I them. We became a family in the grandest sense of the word. It was the most beautiful, profound, and challenging year in my life up to that point. I know for a fact...A FACT...that each and every one of those kids remember room #108 in 5th grade. There was nothing that could have come between us....nothing.

I end with this quote:

. . .if we wait for the moment when everything,absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.
-Ivan Turgenev

So you call yourself a Christian, huh?

See, that's God in the middle.

As the moon reflects the sunlight, so too should we reflect the Son's light.

Being that our God is perfect in holiness, ultimate in creativity, sovereign in action and absolute in character, it behooves us as his people to render unto him our best in all that we do. This not only applies to our prayers, offering, testimonies and praise, but also, and more emphatically, to our everyday lives. What we wear, where we go, how we speak, what we purchase, our church attendance and countless other taken for granted actions show to the world who and what God is. If we accept the title of Christian, as defined by scripture, then we know that we are commissioned to carry on the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in our present world. And what was the work of Jesus except to show to all of mankind the nature of Almighty God?

It follows then that since we have Christ the Lord God within us, working and living in us, the life we lead shows forth to the world God’s attributes, personality, character, and holiness. Ultimately God’s holiness is the defining characteristic of His immortal being. It is His holiness that sets Him apart from any other being in the universe. His holiness is absolute in purity, righteousness, cleanliness, and power. There is none other like the God of Abraham, Jacob, David, and the church of Jesus Christ. He is self-sufficient, in need of nothing. His glory is manifested not only in the physical created world, but now through the people of his kingdom, namely, the church. The church is the express image, the imago dei, of God himself. It is common sense, or, if not, common consent that actions speak louder than words. No where does this truth ring more clearly than in the life of a redeemed man. He knows all eyes are looking to him and at him because his life is different. He lives under a different kingdom than the unredeemed man and, thus, is under not only natural eyes but also the spiritual eyes (angels, demons, and man’s own spirit) that lie behind and beyond the natural. They observe rightfully so. The Lord himself said we are the light of the world, a city on a hill that cannot be hid. Thus, when one is quickened by the Spirit (receives salvation, that is), he is automatically placed in a position of being one who is no longer of this world. He is now a part of the kingdom that he was originally created for: the kingdom of God.

Consequently, his life will have changed and be set upon a new course of glorifying God through his newfound life. Because of this, unregenerate man cannot help but look and wonder at this quickened individual. If a candle is set in the midst of total darkness, no matter how small or weak the candle may be, the darkness surrounding it takes note and flees in all directions. So we see that by virtue of the man being saved he is, whether he wants to be or not, a representation of God on this earth. An ambassador who not only represents his God and God’s kingdom, but who, through his lifestyle and everyday actions, shows forth the very essence of God and what life is meant to be under God’s sovereign rule.

That being the case, it we profess to be baptized believers, filled with the Holy Ghost, then our lives should manifest our profession. "I am a disciple of Jesus Christ”, is a powerful testimony not ever to be taken lightly or for granted, but must be carefully considered by both speaker and listener. If we confess to be that which we are not in truth, then we become hypocritical, bringing the witness of our lives down to the level of the Pharisee who cleans only the outside of the cup while leaving the inside filled with filth and spoil. Jesus has called us to first clean the inside thus allowing the greater light to shine forth, believing that the outside will follow. Why must all these principles be taken seriously? An old adage comes to mind: “You are the only Bible some people may ever see.”

If we are quick to become angry at situations, we show forth a God who is impatient and unapproachable; when we continually boast of ourselves and our abilities, we show forth a God who is arrogant and haughty; when we allow our worship to be half-hearted and haphazardly put together, we show forth a God who lacks integrity or purpose; when we fail to address the needs of our fellow brother and sister, showing a genuine concern for their well being, we show forth a God who is apathetic and uncaring; when we live a life that is not in sync with what God has commanded us to live as redeemed human beings, we show forth a God who is not God at all, but who is a mere man as we.

Is this what our God has called us unto? Is this the way we have come to understand and experience our great God? Do we serve an apathetic, prejudice, impatient, arrogant, lazy, inept, unholy God? Quite the contrary is true. Our Lord God is one of majesty, glory, perfect-ness, creativity, holiness, power, greatness, unmatched goodness and a host of other qualities not worthy of being embodied with words. Thus, we as his chosen people should embrace these very same attributes and characteristics in every part of our lives.

Historical Considerations
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” –Romans 12:1. In the Old Testament, animals were sacrificed by reasoning of a man’s sins. The Jewish people were commanded by God to sacrifice an animal without spot or blemish; one that was of the utmost health and ability, a strong body and clear eyes, one that had all the signs of the perfect sacrifice God demanded.

Of course, the person seeking the sacrificial animal had many to chose from (the nation of Israel was by nature a shepherding nation and therefore livestock was common). But they had to search and find the best sacrifice from the thousands of animals in their stock. How were they to go about this daunting task? What would set one animal apart from the others? How could they identify a most perfect representation of a sin offering unto God? The only way one animal was to stand out from the rest was by its life and actions. Those animals that were lethargic, diseased, weak and lacking in form were overlooked. Only those who were characteristic of God’s standards were chosen.

Today, we are the ones who must present ourselves a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. When we exemplify the truth and power of the gospel in our lives, when we allow our hearts to be led by the Holy Spirit in every situation, when our actions show forth energy, vitality, pureness, righteousness, and love, when every iota of our being cries out, “I am a disciple of Jesus Christ!”, then and only then will we be fit for the Master's use as a willing living sacrifice.

-Duane T. Black

Match the Caption Activity Worksheet #52

Directions: Match the following captions with the appropriate picture above. Then, read sentences out-loud so your English teacher can actually hear sounds come out of your mouth that, if you're lucky, might be actual words. Please ask questions if help is needed. Refrain from having a blank expression on your face that says, "ubba ubba boo blork flagapoofenhoff." Instead, raise your hand, and say, "Teacher, I don't understand what to do." The teacher will understand if you are afraid to ask, but won't have mercy if you don't try. On the contrary, please make an effort to actually do this worksheet. In fact, if you at least make a sound your teacher will know you are alive and he will come rushing to assist you. In the meantime, don't smack your neighboor, but do block any incoming attacks. Good luck and always do your best! (Things this English teacher feels like saying sometimes...)

A. Different food + different people = different expressions.

B. "And in a shocking discovery, a black man was found to be related to the Miazaki clan hailing from Japan. He was found saying, "I always wondered why I had a fondness of raw fish..."

C. Sheesh..I can't play, can't sit, can't take my kid...what in the world is this thing for?! All I can do is stand? What a rip! I want my money back...I'm going to Disneyland...

D. Person A: "Did I turn off my oven?" Person B: "How do you work this contraption?" Person C: "What's that smell?" Person D: "..zzzz..." Person E: "This is Singapore Idol, right? Am I next? La la al al alll..."

E. "ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US."

F: Keepin' It Real - the new fragrance from Singapore (by B&W)

Light, be! Kingdom, come! Faith, be! Thy will, done!

Look not to the shadow, look not inside,

Look to the light, in His glorious brightness hide!

Focus on His goodness, and then you shall see,

the truth of yourself, the truth of the shadow that shall be.
-db


Should I be bold enough to speak, in this moment?
A reverent heart must surely be, unbroken...

...with no regrets; should I be? lost in forgetfulness, with no regrets,
in my head.
Faithfully shed.

Should I be rich and poor and scattered, in my dreams?
While other figures that surround me, live unguarded...

...with no regrets, should I be? lost in forgetfulness, with no regrets,
in my head.
Faithfully shed.

And free, from the worry!
Free from the dark that lives in me!
Free to embark on the passions you've favorably fasioned in me...

...with no regrets, should I be? Lost in forgetfulness, with no regrets,
in my head.
Faithfully shed.

-Jennifer Knapp

But no, rather, I also count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them to be dung, so that I may win Christ and be found in Him; not having my own righteousness, which is of the Law, but through the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God by faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable to His death; if by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect, but I am pressing on, if I may lay hold of that for which I also was taken hold of by Christ Jesus. My brothers, I do not count myself to have taken possession, but one thing I do, forgetting the things behind and reaching forward to the things before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
-Paul (Phi 3:8-14)

The Soul's Paradox of Love

... The upward view on the way to morning prayer...

We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit. 'No man can come to me,' said our Lord, 'except the Father which hath sent me draw him,' and it is by this very prevenient drawing that God takes from us every vestige of credit for he act of coming. The impulse to pursue God originates with God, but the outworking of that impulse is our following hard after Him; and all the time we are pursuing Him we are already in His hand: 'Thy right hand upholdeth me.' In this divine 'upholding' and human 'following' there is no contradiction. All is of God, for as von Hugel teaches, God is always previous.
- Tozer

Photo Time

In this post, I am too tired to write. So, I'll let my handy dandy Sony phone camera do the talking...(with some captions...the writer in me can't help it)

I made the correct mistake of going to this place on Saturday. It was a piano concert at a local music school. All the little kids who were taking piano lessons were giving a mini-concert. To say I walked down memory lane and teared up would undermind the enormity of emotion I felt standing there... I doubt I could ever put into words what music and playing the piano means to me. Perhaps the only way to express it is through music itself...

Ahh! My 15 minutes of fame has arrived! So I did this job for someone to record people coughing for their cough medicine advertising campaign. Gladly, I went around recording various people trying to cough. One things for sure: one never sounds as fake as when trying to feign a cough one doesn't really have. Anyway, after I got the job done my client (hehe...I like the sound of that) put up ads ALL OVER SINGAPORE like in the picture above. Now, what you don't see is that to the left of this picture is the bus stand with speakers attached above. When someone walks by this advertisment...voila!...my coughing recordings begin to sound. Now, my work is being known throughtout Singapore! I will become great in the long history of mass media masters! People will throng to the stores because they heard me and 3 of my friends cough at them while they were waiting for the bus! Hmmm...if this is so good, what's next? An anti-burping medicine? I'd love to record those... :-)

....I gotta keep reminding myself about this one... (minus the 3 cities underneath)

Praise our God, all nations; let your praise be heard. He has kept us alive and has not allowed us to fall. You have put us to the test, God; as silver is purified by fire, so you have tested us. You let us fall into a trap and placed heavy burdens on our backs. You let our enemies trample us; we went through fire and flood, but now you have brought us to a place of safety. I will bring burnt offerings to your house; I will offer you what I promised. I will give you what I said I would when I was in trouble.
(Psa 66:8-14)

I love my sister

"Ahh...the joy of public transportation. Who needs a car? Feast your eyes on the joyous expressions of those who say, "Taking the bus is very cheap, so it's good." I say if this is your retort to stories of transportation liberation (a.k.a DRIVING YOUR OWN CAR and GOING WHEN and WHERE YOU WANT TO), then one should have joy abundantly while waiting an insanely amount of time for the bus to come transfer you from one place to another which, in a straight line, would take all but 10 mins but because everyone else in the entire nation is going to every other place in-between where you are and where you want to go it takes more like 30mins...with, I might add, the wonderful range of human body odor unbeknownst to the common man. Rejoice! Rejoice, I say, and again I say, rejoice!"

-Duane T. Black, while unsuccessfully trying to cheer the people in the above menioned picture.

Here's a quote from my one and only sister:

"If I was able to be a table....I'd have dinner."

If you don't understand, dear reader, that's ok. We do....

What is a person who...

...does that which they desire not to do because of the path their life has taken them on for the sake of a higher calling which they cannot see yet know and believe to be there although it is a darkened path barely lit by the future destiny waiting to be revealed who must live behind the veil of who they are presently so as to fulfill "...coming to the kingdom for such a time as this..." while all the while waiting, believing, and fervently trusting that that which they were birthed for will one day be made manifest to themselves and others so that they can be a good steward and redeem the times so as to have a sense of purpose and reason for existing that one day will hopefully be realized?...

...I don't know what you'd call that person, but I know there's a few of us running around this earth. Thanks be to our Great God who is at the finish line, calling us home...our home beyond this world. A home eternal, a home destined...our home.

Everyone likes to hear the peaches and cream of living. Here's a little something to put on the balancing scale...

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
(1Co 15:19)

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
(Mar 8:34-35)

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.
(Joh 12:24-27)

Shakespeare needs to reword his famous tagline: "To be, and not be. What's up with that?"

~peace~

My War Cry

What up, whassup? Some of my boys back in Osaka, Japan. We went to Universal Studios that day. haha...they still had to wear their school uniform while going on the rides.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arean; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

-Theodore Roosevelt

Brothers from a Different Planet

I took a picture of them...They took a picture of me...Oh, the joy of the simple pleasures in life... ;-)

Choose Milk! God wants you to...

The ultimate purpose of all mankind is to worship the Lord. This includes loving him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Only then will our life be fulfilled. The Creator (God) and creation (us) will be in intimate communion with one another and, because of this, the creation will have attained its perfect and absolute purpose.

Unfortunately, because of original sin, all of mankind has been separated from the holy God who created us. Thus, God is calling all men to repentance (a turning away from our ways to His ways) before the final judgment that is coming upon all men who ever lived and ever will. Since God is holy, pure, and just, He by necessity will make sure evil ultimately loses and good ultimately wins. For us, it’s just a matter of making a personal choice as to what side we’re going to be on when our end comes. We have from the time until we are born until either we pass away or God returns to make that choice. What happens between our birth and either of those 2 endings is called life…our decision making time.

Even though God is all-powerful and all things go according to His will, He also created us with freewill. Thus, we are free to choose whatever course we desire our life to take. He does not decide our choices, only the consequences of them. For example: I pour milk in one cup, Pepsi in another. I teach you and tell you that it is my will for you to drink the milk. I do everything in my power to show you and lead you to that cup of milk, but never force you. 1. So you choose the milk. You chose the milk out of your freewill and, as a result, will receive the consequences of that choice (whatever I designed them to be). …or… 2. You choose the Pepsi. You chose the Pepsi out of your freewill and, as a result, will likewise receive the consequences of that choice.

Maybe during your life people or situations came into your life where the milk looked really, really good. Maybe you were hurting, or troubled, or happy and something made you consider the milk. Destiny? Fate? No, it was your choice in the direction that was God’s ultimate purpose. It was His will guiding you towards the blessing that will come from choosing milk. Perhaps there were times in your life where Pepsi looked very desirable. So, you drank it and reaped the consequences of that choice. Destiny? Fate? No, it was your choice in the direction that was not God’s ultimate purpose. (For a more specific example, the “Pepsi” represents sin à our own ways, our own will, etc. It always looks more desirable because our sinful nature naturally caters to the Pepsi…it attracts and is attracted to its own. Thus does the Pepsi continue to be desirable and the milk not so desirable during our lifetime…until we taste the goodness and power and truth of the milk!)
Ok, so what does God want all of us to choose? Why do “things” happen in our life?

Let us refer to these scriptures as in introduction…
· Acts 17:24-31- The God of heaven and earth is calling all men everywhere to repent
· Matthew 4:17 – Jesus begins preaching his message. What was it? Repentance.
· Matthew 1:21 – The purpose of Jesus being birthed…to save people from sin
· John 3:16 – God so loved the world that He gave…for the purpose to save all of us and give us eternal life.
· 2 Peter 3:8,9 – God is not slack with regards to His decision to judge righteously and destroy all evil, but He’s
longsuffering (patient) because He wants to save us from the consequences of sin…He wishes all men to repent
and turn to Him!
· Romans 5:6-8 – Christ loved us so much that even when we are in our sin, He still died and took the penalty for
sin that we deserve
· John 20:30,31 –The purpose of the entire bible: to know God and have eternal life…our ultimate purpose.
· John 4:4-26 - What will happen if we drink the water (the truth) that God gives?
· John 14:27 - Jesus promises peace…true peace.
· Matthew 11:28-30 - Heavy laden? Burdened? Come to Jesus.

Life Lesson #2

...Confessing faults is a good thing...

This event happened in high school and was my first real "hit in the face" experience with true confession and the pain one goes through when doing it.

So I wrote on her book, “ Susie likes Dan.” In our high school English class Susie was handing in her homework assignment. We were good friends for many years and I thought I’d tease her a little. I mean, she did like Dan. So I, in typical high school boy fashion, teased her by writing the evidence on her textbook cover.
When she came back all the Fury of Girl came forth from her mouth, body, expression. She demanded, “WHO WROTE THIS??” over and over. I was totally shocked at her reaction. She looked really hurt and vulnerable. It was the first time I had seen her this upset…and I was the cause of it even though I meant no harm. Looking around the room she came full circle and asked me point blank did I do it.
“No.”
Wonderfully, that got me off her radar screen. If I remember, tears did come down her face after that. I couldn’t believe it, I was flabbergasted the rest of the day. Not only had I upset a really good friend, I had sinned against my God by blatantly lying. The guilt was pressing on my chest heavier and heavier as the day went by.

That night I cried and cried. I was so upset at myself for doing it, but more upset...and ashamed..that I had lied point blank! Ahh...the lie of convenience. There was no way out of this one. There were no alternative stories I could tell. In fact, none of these thoughts even came to my brain. The only thing that haunted me was that I had injured my Lord Jesus. My life belonged to Him and I was His servant. That day I fell short of His glory. I determined in myself that regardless of the outcome I would confess to Susie the next day when I saw her. Sure, it was easy after the tears dried up to feel resolute, to feel like "Yosh! I'm going in!" But then the next day came....

...and guess who the first person I saw when I walked in the doors: Susie. I had NEVER seen her first thing in the morning the entire school year. But today, there she was. Note: when you lie to someone it's very hard to look at them. I walked right up to her, having crucified my flesh the night before and all morning, and said, "Hi Susie. Listen, I just wanted you to know that I was the one who wrote that message on your book yesterday. I lied and I'm sorry." I expected the Wrath of Girl II: The Second Coming to come pouring down on me and I was ready to accept any reaction she had. I mean, homegirl was about to punch someone the other day. This is what she said:

"Thanks Duane, that's all I wanted to know. See ya..."

...dude....

I was shocked. I was floored even. Now, some of you reading this might think, "whoa..he got off the hook big time." no no no...oh ye of simple minds and placated hearts! In hindsight I believe that if Susie had reacted negatively and laid the smackdown on me, then that would have given my flesh opportunity to rise to bitterness, anger, or a host of other things. Nay, my punishment began the moment I lied and ended the moment I confessed. You see, when the Holy Spirit convicts it pushes you towards repentance. This repentance, if truly from the Lord, will unalterably push you to action to right the wrongs you've done. If not, then you should question the authenticity of your so-called "repentance/confession." It was more unbearable for me to carry around the lie and the truth of me telling the lie than facing my good friend. I was prepared for anything...my future relationship and witness (everyone knew I was a Christian) lay in my God's hands.

When our attitude towards a situation is right, then God will be glorified and we will grow. Had my attitude been one of greater fear of my friend's reaction than God's judgment, I dare say the outcome would have been a world different. But only by the grace of the Lord did I make my sin God centered. In other words, guilt and repentance came from a heart desiring to be right with God because he was the center of my universe. Thus when I walked away from my "center", I was walking away from my God. It did not come from a desire of me wanting to be right in the eyes of my friend. Consider what the prodigal son says:

And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you, and am no more worthy to be called your son.
(Luk 15:21)

The son realized against whom he really did sin. He wasn't so concerned with his actions against his earthly father as he was with his actions against his heavenly Father. So too should we be. When we sin, we should not feel guilty because we got caught, or because our reputation might go down the drain. But rather, we feel godly sorrow because we've disappointed the One who loves us so...the one who poured out crimson rivers to wash away the evil we just committed. And when we do this:

But the father said to his servants, Bring the best robe and put it on him. And put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf here and kill it. And let us eat and be merry, for this my son was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.
(Luk 15:22-24)

Jesus will welcome us with laughter, joy, and love.

Thanks Dad...

...yurusu...

INSERT PICTURE HERE --> <--

(what's up with this blogger thingy? acting like my next door neighbors...weird.)

"He who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lost heart." (Galatians 6:8,9)

The Lord continued. "In My greatest hour of need, My closest friends deserted Me. Judas betrayed Me, Peter denied Me, and the rest fled for their lives. Only John followed from afar. I had cared for them for over three years, feeding them and teaching them. Yet as I died for the sins of the world, I forgave. I released all of them - from My friends who had deserted Me to the Roman guard who had crucified Me. They didn't ask for forgiveness, yet I freely gave it. I had faith in the Father's love. I knew that because I had sown love I would reap love from many sons and daughters of the kingdom. Because of My sacrifice of love, they would love Me."
- John Bevere (The Bait of Satan, 2004)

Oh God, help me to forgive! Oh God, help me to love with agape love! Oh God, refine me in the fire that the dross of the flesh may rise to the surface, leaving only the soft gold that awaits your purposed intention! Oh God, protect me from myself! Oh God, let me love my brothers and sisters with the unconditional, tireless, unwavering, and divine love that so characterizes Your being. Oh God, my life I give upon the altar of sacrifice morning by morning so that you may have your way within this temple as you please...

...amen...

yurusu = "forgive" in Japanese

The Joy of Being

Tis a path we all must travel...

Bruce Wayne played by Christian Bale

(Batman Begins)

I'm a believer that actions speak louder than words. Except, of course, when you are God. God speaks His words and they become action. He spoke "Light, be!" and light became. I speak "Pepperoni pizza with extra pepperoni, be!" and nothing happens. Hmmm....

Would to God that I could be the same! But then life would lose its factor of interest. I think the struggle to be true to oneself and to make one's actions match their person & words is one of the great struggles of life. I'm always intrigued by how my words or actions effect others. Sometime I mean my actions or words for good, but others receive it negatively. Other times (I don't MEAN for my words and actions to be negative) I'll act or speak in a way that is based on my tiredness or frustration, but miraculously others perceive and recieve goodness from it. Actually, I think it's because they are being compassionate.

It is something I think all human beings should do, having a spirit of understanding and compassion that is. There were times when I knew adults in my life were having a rough day and they acted very stressed out (perhaps from the rough day? duh...). So when they dealt with me and my co-workers or friends, their demeanor was a little...well....rough. Did I fault them for this? Did my opinion of their character fall off the Niagara Falls? Did they transform into some untouchable beast that we could never reach again?

Of course not.

They were human. In fact, seeing the people who I look up to in life (and even those younger than me) has helped me to realize that we're all in this thing called life together. And we need encourage one another along the way. Now, encouragement doesn't always come from words. Let us remember the parable of the 2 sons and the father. One said he'd go and work, but didn't. The other said he wouldn't work, but he did. Point #1?....

...sometimes we have to give people the benefit of the doubt.

The second son probably had an attitude when his father asked him to do work. "What??! Dad, why do I always have to do it? *arg*....I'm tired...can't I do it tomorrow?...no? blah blah blah" No where do we read the father getting angry or replying to the son. All we know is that later, the son did it. And Jesus justified the second son rather than the one who gave lip service. Point #2?....

....don't always judge or react to people based on their words or countenance.

They may be tired or stressed, but if they are doing and working, leave them be. I mean, can you imagine people saying to Jesus, "Boy, you look tired and stressed, Lord. You should rest more," as he was carrying the cross to Golgotha? When Jesus overturned the tables in the market because of the selling and buying, would anyone dare say, "whoa, whoa, there Jesus! Just calm down, Lord. Relax, la..."

I've seen people in churches I've been to who were such hard workers that they always looked stressed or "frantic". But they did the most extraordinary things....with love, with diligence, with a heart of worship to the Lord. Others would say to them, "Hey there, why are you so stressed? Take it easy, blah, blah, blah," and I'm sitting there thinking, "why don't you help if you're so concerned." That's why when someone looks busy, either I help or stay away...they know what they're doing. Sometimes too much help doesn't help either. Yup...learned this the hard way. So, ladies and gentlemen, what's Point #3?....

..."Doubters do not achieve, Skeptics do not contribute, Cynics do not create." - Calvin Coolidge

*sigh* So many points, so little time! The time fails me to adequately express that which I find so interesting about human nature. So, yall who are reading this, take this to the bank with you: give people the benefit of the doubt when they act out of character, when they speak out of frustration or tiredness, when their actions are doing the task at hand even though they may be stressed out, and recognize when they need a helping hand. Help not with your mouth only, but with the hand. Let your prayers and words be matched by your action and compassions...we are all under construction.

...Sore dewa, ima kara mo minna san isshouken mei ganbatte kudasai... Kami-sama ga ZEHI kuru...zehi.

Guessy, Guessy

5 points to anyone who can tell me where this is in Singapore. (Not you Kelvin....too much chocolate dude.)

When there is no way...

Rats! And I wanted to bring my peanut butter and jelly sandwich along so they could sample chicken rice. My sandwich was really hungry too....oh well, I'll have to find a stall that allows food to eat.

"Either I will find a way or I will make one." - Sir Philip Sidney

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
(Phi 4:13)

Black is Good

Issac Blackman

...My favorite gospel artist who a musical genius, as far as I'm concerned...

www.gospelreggae.com/browse/albums/78da4b34010000f80096/ Isaac+Blackman/In+Your+Eyes.html

Good News x 4.5

Another collage I did for my taiko group back in Japan. This baby took me almost 3 months.

Yes!

I got my second photo lesson back from my professor in the states. Haven't listened to her yet, but she jotted down on my folder that, "...love kitten photo...could be published!"

(insert red-cheeked Bugs Bunny expression...haha!)

I need to get on the ball! There are so many photos I have that could potentially be published. Here in Singapore I've learned that people are actually animals. Yes, it's true. Some are beavers, others are golden retrievers, others are otters, and still others are lions. These 4 animals make up the entire human race. Never knew this until I came here, these interesting ways of classifying people. (silly me thinking that people were of a higher order of consciousness) While I'm not one who readily buys into "classifying people" (cause I believe in self-fulfilling prophecy...you say or believe you are something...then you naturally start to fulfill that role), I suppose it does help one in becoming one with who they are. Anyhoo, I took this animal test and found out that I am all animals at about the same level. So, I guess you'd call me a "begoreotton." (sounds like something out of a Harry Potter movie...haha) Not being a strong beaver, I think my lax attitude of getting some of my work published (both photos and music) comes from the otter part of me while the frustration of not doing it hails from my beaver-ness. Then the golden retriever kicks in and has compassion on both these two, while the lion says, "Get a grip...to work you weaklings!" It's a hard-knock life being everything at once. Actually, I don't really believe in only 4 animals...there should be a fifth! Lion, Golden Retriever, Otter, Beaver, and maybe a cow. Cows always have this funny expression on their faces that seem to say, "Dude, whatever..." while chewing some hay for an inexplorably long amount of time. So while the four animals fight inside, the cow can sit there and be like, "dude, whatever..."

(insert sound of low level chewing of cud)

She also said that I need to "slow down to see what the camera sees." Interesting...I'll have to listen to the tape to see exactly what she meant. I also just completed my first photography lesson with some of the greatest kids this side of equator at church (tanks a bunch me faithful assistant!) One of my points was that your eye is the most important tool you have in photography because the camera has no brains. Now my professor is telling me to see what the camera sees. I'm confused...have I unalterably warped the young impressionable minds of future TJPEG members forever? Will they grow up thinking that cameras are dumb pieces of metal and plastic whereas my professor is saying they have a mind (and eyes) of their own? *sigh*...what have I done!??

(insert highly dramatic orchestrated music of Star Wars caliber...)

Naw, they'll be ok.

More good news!... my roomate and I stayed up crazy late last night talking, watching TV, and playing some XBOX. Talking is always good, especially when you're so tired that words start to become slurred and the conversation becomes funny...not so much because of the content, but because of the slurred words. TV was great because we watched an episode of "Friends". Haven't seen that in a long while. Suffice it to say it was quite refreshing to be able to laugh and watch something that I could relate to. I used to watch American movies when I lived in Japan for 2 years just to stay sane every now and then... haha. I'd watch movies and see cars drive on the right side of the road and be like, "Hey...that's weird. Oh wait, no it isn't. Dude..." Playing XBOX was very cool because I'm teaching my roommate the fine art of receiving multiple smackdowns. He has much to learn... ;-)

(insert sound effect of roommate's character getting knocked down...)

So, what's the 0.5 other good news? --> "The other day I saw...."

(Yup, that's 5 words which is exactly half of the rest of the sentence which is exactly 10 words which yields the 0.5 good part of the news.)

It reminded me of my mountain that I used to climb up every now and then back in America. I'd talk to God up there for quite sometime...just Him and me. Talking to God with nothing but pure nature around is a matchless experience. Think Eden...

Someone said I look like I'm 23 and act the same too. So, what do I believe? My birth certificate, people's perspectives? haha...when I was 15 people said I acted too serious for my age, like I was 25 or something. That's cool...at least now I'm younger....

People are generally funny...generally. :-)

(insert sound effect of Looney Tunes "That's All Folks" ending music)