God's Constant Position Towards Us

...taken at the Esplande...

The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those

whose hearts are fully committed to him. (2 Chronicles 16:9)

Truly, the Lord's hand has not become short, so that he is unable to give salvation;

and his ear is not shut from hearing. (Isaiah 59:1)

Thank God for God.

The Power of Names

Adam's first attempt at naming the animals. Notice the horse's expression, not to mention God's...

So I'm preparing slides for a bible study I'm starting soon, and I came across this picture.

I have a friend who enjoys naming...well, things.

Lest she think this is weird (I don't, and I'm sure she doesn't, but sometimes age does something to ones enjoyment of the simple pleasures in life), I submit this photo as a reminder: man was given the power to name everything around him! So, name your thumbdrive boldly! Laptops, beware the forthcoming surname! Pencils, expect to be bestowed with a name above every other name given to a writing utensil!

Haha...this photo's for you sis!...(I shall not name names)

The Power Of Words

Lord knows I'm not there yet...but I'm trying....I'm aiming....I'm trying.

Speech is the mirror of the soul; as a man speaks, so he is. --Publilius Syrus

The trouble with talking too fast is you may say something you haven't thought of yet. --Ann Landers

Most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of a witness. --Margaret Millar

We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them. --Abigail Adams

We do not need to proselytise either by our speech or by our writing. We can only do so really with our lives. --Mahatma Gandhi

But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. –Jesus Christ (Matthew 12:36-38)

When you are arguing with a fool, make sure he isn't doing the same thing. —Unknown

I am annoyed by individuals who are embarrassed by pauses in a conversation. To me, every conversational pause refreshes. --George Sanders

Great minds talk about ideas, Average minds talk about things, Small minds talk about other people. --Unknown

The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.--Harriet Beecher Stowe

Never miss a good chance to shut up. –Will Rogers

Can you tell I love kids...

Some shopping center in Singapore when a super famous singer was signing her signature about some song she sang on a CD that was selling fantastically swell. I didn't buy one.

A first grade teacher collected old, well known proverbs. She gave each child in her class the first half of the proverb, then had the children complete the phrase.
As you shall make your bed so shall you……mess it up.
Better be safe than…….punch a 5th grader.
Strike while the…….bug is close.
It’s always darkest before…….daylight savings time.
You can lead a horse to water but…….how?
Don’t bite the hand that…….looks dirty.
A miss is as good as a…….Mr.
You can’t teach an old dog new…….math.
If you lie down with the dogs, you’ll……stink in the morning.
The pen is mightier than the…….pigs.
An idle mind is…….the best way to relax.
Where there’s smoke, there’s…….pollution.
Happy the bride who……gets all the presents.
A penny saved is…….not much.
Two’s company, three’s…….the musketeers.
Laugh and the whole world laughs with you; cry and…….you have to blow your nose.
Children should be seen and not…….spanked or grounded.
When the blind leadeth the blind…….get out of the way.

On a more serious note, a defining quote for the moment in my life:

About all you can do in life is be who you are. Some people will love you for you. Most will love you for what you can do for them, and some won't like you at all.
Rita Mae Brown

Please Study Your Bible, Thank You

There is a way of reading the Bible that seems to leave God far away, off in the shadows somewhere. It is all information and technicalities and knowledge, but it feels like you're sitting with your back towards God. You come up against a difficulty or question, and you go to books, you ask pastors, friends, strangers on the internet, anyone but Him. Gradually God gets smaller and dimmer. --Unknown

Here, then, is the real problem of our negligence. We fail in our duty to study God's Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy. --R. C. Sproul

You may as well quit reading and hearing the Word of God, and give it to the devil, if you do not desire to live according to it. -- Martin Luther

Spouting scripture has no magic to dispel the devil. Scripture has phenomenal power but unless you submit your mind to its inerrant truth, its power is largely lost to you. --Martha Kilpatrick

The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.-- A. W. Tozer

One of these days some simple soul will pick up the Book of God, read it, and believe it. Then the rest of us will be embarrassed. --Leonard Ravenhill

Jesus Alone Did It

A photo sent to me by a friend who is studying architecture. I'm going to ask her to design my house like this. My bed will be that big eyeball thing in the middle.

In other words, what Jesus meant when He cried, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" was that he had taken the place of sinful man on the cross and was suffering the full punishment for sin. There was no abatement of suffering because of His deity. Since all have sinned (Romans 3:23), and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), all mankind (except for the sinless Christ) deserved to die. Chirst took our place and sufferred the death that we deserved (Romans 5:6-9). Jesus was more than a courageous martyr like Stephen and more than an Old Testament sacrifice, because He died in our place and experienced for a time the death we deserved. On the cross He tasted death for every man (Hebrews 2:9). This death was more than physical death; it also involved spiritual death, which is separation from God (2 Thessalonians 1:9 ; Revelation 20:14)

No one alive on earth has felt this spiritual death in its fullest degree, because all of us live, move, and have our being in God (Acts 17:28). Even the atheist enjoys many good things such as joy, love, and life itself. Every good thing comes from God (James 1:17), and all life originates from Him and is upheld by Him. But, Jesus tasted ultimate death - the separation from God that a sinner will feel in the lake of fire. He felt the anguish, hopelessness, and despair as if he were a man eternally forsaken by God. So the human nature of Jesus cried out on the cross as Jesus took on the sin of the whole world and felt the ternal punishment of separation for that sin (I Peter 2:24).

-David K. Bernard, The Oneness of God

Now tell me again why we need someone to remind us to worship Jesus? If after reading this you (or, more to the point, I) go to the house of the Lord and not praise, worship, and shout to the Lord with everything in me....shame on me. If I have to wait for the worship leader, the pastor, or other individuals to direct my worship...shame on me. If there is nothing else that I can think of to pray or talk to God about, the account above is enough to fill the rest of my prayer times with thanksgiving.

Jesus, you did it all. Thank you, Lord.

Thank God for the book of Psalms

In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth. By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee. I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honor all the day. Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth. For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together, Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him. O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help. Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonor that seek my hurt. But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. My mouth shall show forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof. I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only. O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have showed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come. Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee! Thou, which hast showed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed. My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt. (Psalm 71:1-24)

Thank God this Psalmist was human. Topics like these comprise almost 1/3 of the Psalms. There are too many super-Christians (a.k.a Christians who know not the power, blessings, and gift of lonliness & suffering) nowadays. I once thought Psalms like these that were read in days of youth would one day give way to the other 2/3 part of Psalms that speak of joy, peace, and blessings. How silly that thought. As I said, forgot, and was reminded by a friend: it takes both rain and sunshine to make a rainbow. In fact, you can't even see a rainbow without rain. Hence as long as we live in this world, suffering will be a reality. Unless, of course, you are a super-Christian.

I Dig My Family: Part 1

My great grandparents. She was a pastor, he was a deacon, and they were suuu-per cool.

Our pastor just had his 50th birthday. I say...

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
Mark Twain

Blow 'em up!

Our pastor was saying that if we want to get extreme about reaching out to people for the gospel we need to overcome our fear!
 I should find the phone number of this guy...he might be able to help me. 

Forgive us teachers, o ye students...

~ 50 points to whoever can guess where this is in Singapore~

This is not a work of scholarship. I am no Hebraist, no higher critic, no ancient historian, no archaeologist. I write for the unlearned about things in which I am unlearned myself. If an excuse is needed (and perhaps it is) for writing such a book, my excuse would be something like this. It often happens that two schoolboys can solve difficulties in their work for one another better than the master can. When you took the problem to a master, as we all remember, he was very likely to explain what you understood already, to add a great deal of information which you didn't want, and say nothing at all about the thing that was puzzling you. I have watched this from both sides of the net; for when, as a teacher myself, I have tried to answer questions brought me by pupils, I have sometimes, after a minute, seen that expression settle down on their faces which assured me that they were suffering exactly the same frustration which I had suffered from my own teachers. The fellow-pupil can help more than the master because he knows less. The difficulty we want him to explain is one he has recenlty met. The expert met it so long ago that he has forgotten. He sees the whole subject, by now, in such a different light that he cannot conceive what is really troubling the pupil; he sees a dozen other difficulties which ought to be troubling him but aren't.
- C.S. Lewis, from the Introductory of his "Reflections on the Psalms " book

Gullible.info

This was the expression on my face the first time I saw posters in the men's public bathrooms here in Singapore giving instructions on how to...er...aim - complete with bulls-eyes.

There's a website called, "Gullible.info" No explanation needed, but I do offer some extracts:

• Elephants don't have ankles.

• Despite two extreme outliers -- Oregon on one side, New York City on the other -- an average American bathes more often than an average person of any other nationality.

• Over forty-five years of space exploration, no fewer than six dogs, eleven cats, four thousand mice and an aquarium-full of crickets are believed to have been stranded in low Earth orbit.

• More people are burned by toaster ovens than by regular ovens.

• May is national Toaster Oven Safety Awareness month.

• One in five people carries with them a key for which they have forgotten the use.

• "Toyota" is a conjugation of the Japanese word for "War Machine."

• Boston University researchers found that people separated from their cell phones for two days showed signs of withdrawal.

Whether any of these are true or not, I don't know. But they make you go, "hmmm..."

Does Prayer Work?

Singapore when feeling European...a little.

For up till now we have been tackling the whole question in the wrong way and on the wrong level. The very question “Does prayer work?” puts us in the wrong frame of mind from the outset. “Work”: as if it were magic, or a machine – something that functions automatically. Prayer is either a sheer illusion or a personal contact between embryonic, incomplete persons (ourselves) and the utterly concrete Person. Prayer in the sense of petition, asking for things, is a small part of it; confession and penitence are its threshold, adoration its sanctuary, the presence and vision and enjoyment of God its bread and wine. In it God shows Himself to us. That He answers prayers is a corollary – not necessarily the most important one – from that revelation. What He does is learned from what He is.
-C.S. Lewis, taken from The World’s Last Night

Who You Followin'?

the side of my house...the back of my car...the face of nostalgia

But do not forget this. At first it is natural for a baby to take its mother's milk without knowing its mother. It is equally natural for us to see the man who helps us without seeing Christ behind him. But we must not remain babies. We must go on to recognise the real Giver. It is madness not to. Because, if we do not, we shall be relying on human beings. And that is going to let us down. The best of them will make mistakes, all of them will die. We must be thankful to all the people who have helped us, we must honour them and love them. But never, never pin your whole faith on any human being: not if he is the best and wisest in the whole world. There are lots of nice things you can do with sand; but do not try building a house on it.
-C.S. Lewis, from Mere Christianity

It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
Psalm 118:8
Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:
Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth forever:
Psalm 146:3-6

Just some food for thought lest any of you out there would seem to have dropped your gaze from God to man when it comes to weighty and eternal matters of the soul.

The Painter and Paintbrush

Taken in Australia, 2003

In my conclusion, I'd like to say this: you graduates, indeed all of us, are growing, questioning life, and concerned over the future. The battle between good and evil, right and wrong, wise and unwise is not waged in the natural world, not in the situations we experience everyday, per se. Rather, the war for your eternal destiny lies within your heart, mind, and soul. For those who have obeyed Jesus, the battle is already won! It is important to love Jesus with every area of your life. As a painter who stands before a blank canvas creates whatsoever his heart and brush tell him, so too must you and the Lord paint the story of your life on the canvas of your heart. Go into your secret chamber of your heart, paint brush in hand and let God show you what colors to choose, what lines to make. Be not afraid of what others think of your rough draft. God will continually work with and in you. As you move into adulthood, take on jobs, families, remember who it is who gave you life, purpose, meaning. Forget not the simple things in life. Find God everyday: in the rising sun, in the cleansing rain, in the breeze that cradles the tree leaf. Transform your mind and heart to be sensitive to the spirit of God. As you decrease, Jesus will increase in your life and thus a beautiful picture painting will emerge. And on that day when we all stand before our most faithful and loving creator, the Lord Jesus, He will open the book of life and find an extraordinary picture of a beautiful, strong tree that symbolizes your life. And He will say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant."
-Graduates speech written by db, copyright 2000

Where do your roots lie? At the end of all things it will be only you and God standing face to face. What picture will He see in the Book of Life on that day? A portrait born of your own hand? Will you cringe on that day when He shows you the picture that could have been? Will you weep at the gate of the place where just beyond tears will be known no more? Which choice in your life now stands in competition to the victory, the eternity, the magnificent wonder and promise of immortality with He who gave His life for yours?

Or...

Will there be a mutual smile on your face and His when all the painful sorrows, the shed tears, the seasons of turmoil and trama reveal themselves as the varied colors resident on the symbolic canvas of your life that God will present to you on that day? Will you today push aside all that you think you know, all that you thought you knew, and pursue Him who pursues you daily? Him who has you as the apple of His eye? Him who will never, ever, ever give up on you?

Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, and has not stood in the way of sinners, and has not sat in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is only in the Law of Jehovah; and in His Law he meditates day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivulets of water that brings forth its fruit in its seasons, and its leaf shall not wither, and all which he does shall be blessed.
(Psalm 1:1-3)

A note written to me on a piece of crumpled up notebook paper from one of the children in our kids church:

"Do not walk ahead of me, I may not know the way to follow...
Do now walk behind me, I may not know the way to lead...
Just walk with me...AS FRIENDS FOREVER."

(In the lower left corner I see a hand drawn picture of what I think to be a car with a headband and a smile.)

"P.S. DOG CAR, Isnt' it cute?"

Actions do speak louder than words

A view from a room in my American house.

Put right out of your head the idea that these are only fancy ways of saying that Christians are to read what Christ said and try to carry it out as a man may read what Plato and Marx said and try to carry it out. They mean something much more than that. They mean that a real Person, Christ, here and now, in that very room where you are saying your prayers, is doing things to you. It is not a question of a good man who died two thousand years ago. It is a living Man, still as much a man as you, and still as much God as He was when He created the world, really coming and interfering with your very self; killing the old natural self in you and replacing it with the kind of self He has. At first, only for moments. Then for longer periods. Finally, if all goes well, turning you permanently into a different sort of thing; into a new little Christ, a being which, in its own small way, has the same kind of life as God; which shares in His power, joy, knowledge, and eternity.

-C.S. Lewis, "Let's Pretend", from Mere Christianity

Yes, I was a fifth grade teacher...and my name was Poopsie Liverface.

Something is very wrong here. One cannot tell if she thinks the jelly looks good to eat...or the hands. This child is never coming to my house to play with my kids.

I was Poopsie Liverface and proud of it! How can you be an elementary school teacher surrounded by 6~11 year olds all day and not get kooked-out? Below is one of the many lessons I (the student) learned from my teachers (my students). Find your name and share....IF YOU DARE. Muhahaha...

Ok, here's how it works:

Use the third letter of your first name to determine your new first name:

a = poopsie
b = lumpy
c = buttercup
d = gadget
e = crusty
f = greasy
g = fluffy
h = cheeseball
i = chim-chim
j = stinky
k = flunky
l = boobie
m = pinky
n = zippy
o = goober
p = doofus
q = slimy
r = loopy
s = snotty
t = tootie
u = dorkey
v = squeezit
w = oprah
x = skipper
y = dinky
z = zsa-zsa

Use the second letter of your last name to determine the first half of your new last name:

a = apple
b = toilet
c = giggle
d = burger
e = girdle
f = barf
g = lizard
h = waffle
i = cootie
j = monkey
k = potty
l = liver
m = banana
n = rhino
o = bubble
p = hamster
q = toad
r = gizzard
s = pizza
t = gerbil
u = chicken
v = pickle
w = chuckle
x = tofu
y = gorilla
z = stinker

Use the fourth letter of your last name to determine the second half of your new last name:

a = head
b = mouth
c = face
d = nose
e = tush
f = breath
g = pants
h = shorts
i = lips
j = honker
k = butt
l = brain
m = tushie
n = chunks
o = hiney
p = biscuits
q = toes
r = buns
s = fanny
t = sniffer
u = sprinkles
v = kisser
w = squirt
x = humperdinck
y = brains
z = juice

We were shameless in Room 108 (my first homeroom class)! We were silly at times, and we knew it. Lots of laughs kept our hearts light, but plenty of love kept our feet on the ground.

The Book of Acts Continues...

Click to Play

*sniff*....My second ever edited video from the same Deep Calleth Deep conference in 2003.  A wee bit longer with many more cuts.  Boy, I was on a roll.  :-)

The Holy Spirit continues to work, even today.  Unbeknownst to many, the book of Acts is the only book of the bible that doesn't have an ending. Chew on that.

This Day We Fight!

...and enjoy the music.

So my mother and I were watching the extended version of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King the other night. (She's so cool...watching one of my favorite movies of all time with me mums...haha!)

Majestic dialogue, fantastic imagery, and eternal themes of honor, courage, friendship, sacrifice, endurance, and the age old battle between good and evil all play out with vivid music and color in Mr. Jackson's 9 hour (*phew*) masterpiece. Although I am partial to fight scenes and war-themed films, one of my favorite (if not my favorite) scenes in Return of the King is after Frodo and Sam finally destroy the ring and have, not by choice but rather by circumstantial default, resigned themselves to death upon a lonely rock on the sides of volcanic Mordor. Surrounded by lava which, by their judgment would soon engulf them, they talk of the Shire and life before their terrific journey to do battle against the forces of evil. Their task now completed, they close their eyes and, major thumbs up to Peter Jackson(!), the scene fades to a black screen for about 6 seconds...very, very long and unsettling for the viewers. Then it fades back in to the same rock surrounded by lava with Frodo and Sam laid out on the rock. Off to the right out of bursting white clouds eagles fly in to rescue them with Gandalf riding one. They gently pick up the unaware Frodo and Sam and bring them to safety elsewhere. It is a satisfying scene, one of hope and faith that when a person has done all they know, with all the power they know, in the end they will survive even if not by their own will or power.

My heart leapt at that scene! How like we, the people of God, ought to have the courage and faith of these two little dudes on the side of a blown up volcano! Before they reached Mordor they, especially Sam, were certain they'd return home in a flash. But reaching the outer plains of that most wicked place they saw themselves walking to certain death. They still journeyed forward in spite of all the odds against them. (Deut 31:6) They had no idea of the struggles, the battles, the tears, and the overwhelming hopes that everyone else on the outside had for them. (1 Peter 5:9) It was pure faith and hope that kept both Frodo and Sam going and their friends (all the other good guys and gals in the movie) fighting. It was all for the same cause: to eliminate evil from the world.

The point here is simple: when all had been said and done and Frodo and Sam were on the brink of death, salvation came. They were borne on the "...wings of eagles..." (Isaiah 40:31) out of harms way. Had they given up, had they retreated in fear, had they wallowed in defeated thoughts and frustration I dare say they would have died before they ever reached the inside of Mordor. All would have been lost.

We must have the same fight in us, the same tenacity about our salvation, the same hope that in the end good will triumph over evil. Sam and Frodo had, at the last, given up their lives to the hot lava flowing around them. Yet they gave their all because of the cause they believed in. We have a greater cause: the redemption of mankind. (2 Corinth 5:18) We know the ending of our story....sweet and eternal victory! (Rev 22:12-14) How dare we even think to give in, to let go, to compromise, to entertain weak imaginations!

Alas, we, being human, do so, and this I personally know right well. :-( We may find ourselves many a day on the side of a volcano surrounded by situations so pressured that our daily lives become the great Struggle with moments of Freedom. (Psalm 69:1-3) We may find ourselves closing our eyes as the circumstances, the people, as our minds hem in on us. "I've done all I know to do, Lord. Oh Jesus, I can no more endure this! My heart and strength have fallen below where I cannot see. I shall lie here and wait for an end to come." But it isn't over. When a child of God does the work of their eternal Father, our Lord Jesus, the story is never over when we think. Nay, it is just beginning. (Gal 6:9)
Do not lose heart! Do not give up! Do not stay your sword within your bosom! Take courage! Take hold of faith! Never, ever give up! Keep wielding your sword (the Word of God) with relentless fervor! Speak out the Word full of faith! Pray! Believe Jesus' words and promises for your life and the lives of those dear to you...and even those not dear! Become the change which you desire to see in the world! Become the sacrificial offering fit for the Master's use. Become that which you already are in the bosom of Christ....a fearless warrior prince or princess bound eternally to a fate of glorious habitation and reign in heaven with the only true God of this universe: Jesus Christ. Believe it...live it.

Fight for your King and Kinsman-redeemer who, through suffering, learned obedience and thus gained eternal victory for we, His children! (Hebrews 5:8) Fight for your family who presently may turn aside to false persuasions, but, as you rejoice in faith for their redemption, will soon see the light of Christ! (Matthew 5:16) Fight for your brothers and sisters in the Lord who, while they may not know your struggles as you journey to your "Mordor" play their much needed role as the body of Christ in this great battle that is called Life! (1 Corinth 12:12-27) Fight for your own soul which to this world may be as a vapor and passing folly, but Jesus is more precious than His own life! (John 3:16)

This war rally by Aragorn brought me to tears when I re-read it word for word:

"Hold your ground, hold your ground. Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers. I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down, but it is not this day. This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!"

Re-written and re-morphed by db ;-)

"Hold your ground, hold your ground. Sons and daughters of the Most High God, of the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world, my family. I see in your eyes the same fear that indeed takes the heart of me at times. A day may come when our courage fails, when we forsake our faith in the goodness of our Redeemer and follow our own devices, but it is not this day. A day may come when with furrowed eyebrows we wonder if God really cares of the very hairs of our head, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and forgotten dreams, of far off visions and cold love. A moment of ease in this battle of destiny, when our very breath of praise runs dry and our eyes dim in the grip of doubt, but it is not this day....

...THIS DAY WE FIGHT."

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. -Jesus (Luke 9:23)

He fought and won. Let us follow in His footsteps. We cannot lose. The gates of hell will in no wise prevail against us. Fight, I say, fight!

Real Advertising

The poster boy for the other leading brand of diapers that didn't quite make it to the stores.

The Lady of Perelandra

Not the Lady of Perelandra, just a cool pic I found

The Lady of Perelandra is a depiction of another Eve on another planet in another creation story that parallels the biblical account of our own Eve, planet, and creation story. She, in C.S. Lewis’ mind, is the epitome of innocence, all that was before self-centeredness and willful disobedience molded our present world. That is all I will say about this most wonderful story I am in the midst of reading now lest I spoil it for those who dare tread its pages. A good read it is…C.S. Lewis is a wonderful theologian.

Some of her responses to the main character, Ransom, when he lands on “her” world, are to die for. Here we see a fallen, experienced human being talking with a woman – the Mother of the planet God (Maledil) has made – yet untouched by anything but the Good Lord’s goodness, love, and providence. That which was to be, in the plan of God talking with that which became, in the plan of man. Some of her conversations with him and another character, the Lord’s antithesis, Satan himself who also finds his way into “her” world, are very, very good. Excerpts:

EXCERPT #1: The Lady and Ransom (Piebald)
“Perhaps my world is wrong about this,” said Ransom rather feebly, for he was dismayed at what he had done.
“It is not so,” said she. “Maledil Himself has told me now. And it could not be so, if your world has no floating lands. But He is not telling me why He has forbidden it to us.”
“There’s probably some good reason,” began Ransom, when he was interrupted by her sudden laughter.
“Oh, Piebald, Piebald,” she said, still laughing. “How often the people of your race speak!”
“I’m sorry,” said Ransom, a little put out.
“What are you sorry for?”
“I am sorry if you think I talk too much.”
“Too much? How can I tell what would be too much for you to talk?”“In our world when they say a man talks much they mean they wish him to be silent.”
“If that is what they mean, why do they not say it?”
“What made you laugh?” asked Ransom, finding her question too hard.
“I laughed, Piebald, because you were wondering, as I was, about this law which Maledil has made for one world and not for another. And you had nothing to say about it and yet made the nothing up into words.”

How often I do that…

EXCERPT #2: The Lady and Weston, presently inhabited by Satan (see Genesis 3:1-5 for parallels)
“I am wondering,” said the woman’s voice, “whether all the people of your world have the habit of talking about the same thing more than once. I have said already that we are forbidden to dwell on the Fixed Land. Why do you not either talk of something else or stop talking?”
“Because this forbidding is such a strange one,” said the Man’s (Weston’s) voice. “And so unlike the ways of Maledil in my world. And He has not forbidden you to think about dwelling on the Fixed land.”
“That would be a strange thing – to think about what will never happen….this goes beyond all. Stepping out of what is into what might be and talking and making things out there…alongside the world.”
….
“It is not from the making a story that I shrink back, O stranger, “she answered, “but from this one story that you have put into my head. I can make myself stories about my children of the King. I can make it that the fish fly and the land beasts swim. But if I try to make the story about living on the Fixed Island [which is forbidden by Maledil] I do not know how to make it about Maledil. For if I make it that He has changed His command, that will not go. And if I make it that we are living there against His command, that is like making the sky black and the water so that we cannot drink it and the air so that we cannot breathe it. But also, I do no see what is the pleasure of trying to make these things.”
“To make you wiser, older,” said Weston’s body.
“Do you know for certain that it will do that?” she asked.
“Yes, for certain,” it replied. “That is how the women of my world have become so great and so beautiful.”
“Do not listen to him,” broke in Ransom; “send him away. Do not hear what he says, do not think of it.”
-----------------------------
One wonders if the Eve of our world had heeded those wise words of Ransom whether or not things would be different in our world today. Alas, such speculation is vain and pointless.

Would to God we all could heed those words. Therein lay our victory over our age old enemy.

For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, pulling down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought into the obedience of Christ; and having readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
(2Co 10:4-6)

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
(Jam 4:7)

Quotes of the Moment

A picture I took in St. Louis, Missouri (during a PAW convention) with a little point-n-shoot when I was...oh, about 14 years old. I think this is the photo that started my love for photography cause it's exactly how I remembered it...both in eye and in heart.

I love quotes. But it is good to run across some quotes with the context surrounding the creation of the quote itself. Some of my favorites follow.

"This isn't right, this isn't even wrong." - Wolfgang Pauli, upon reading a young physicist's paper

"We're going to turn this team around 360 degrees." -Jason Kidd, upon his drafting to the Dallas Mavericks (I'm sure they loved his strategy)

"Ask her to wait a moment - I am almost done." - Carl Friedrich Gauss, while working when informed his wife was dying

"I don't feel good." - The last words of Luther Burbank (great lasts words for anyone I'd say...)

"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both." - Dwight D. Eisenhower, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1953

"Assassins!" -Arthur Toscanini to his orchestra

August 1st ~ August 31st, 2006 Season 6

selah

I was seriously going to...

...bring this dog home.

I saved him from being crushed by two big double decker buses a couple of weeks ago while on the way to school early one morning. Running out into the road, I stopped the buses and grabbed the little guy.

Near my school there is a small complex of houses. I decided to put him way back...far from the road. I left him there. On my way back to the school I kept regretting that decision.

After school I went out to look for him. Gone.

If I ever see him again stray on the road again, he's mine. There are few moments in life where one gets a chance to do something out of the ordinary...to make snap decisions without thinking. I think I thought too much about this one. Next time, no thinking...action.

A dog I must have one day. I grew up with one for about 12 years...that's a long time for a dog.

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