Oh, the choices

A rare moment in the history of a Singaporean MRT train...weep my friends...weep.

So I'm at school with all the teachers today going through training for our new Student Management Information System (SMIS, for the acronymly inclined out there). Name, address, date of birth, blah blah blah...you know, all the normal stuff one has to fill out. One would think that after filling out this information like a gazillon times in one's lifetime that the world over would know everything about you. I've got applications, registrations, publications, and other "ations" out there somewhere. Anyway, I digress....

The form had some interesting fields that had to be filled out. One is nationality. I looked for American, but it wasn't a listed option. I saw African, Japanese, Chinese, Brazillian (I think), but no American. I left that option blank, although I was tempted to tick Japanese. I figured if the office staff looked me up on their records one day they'd think I was a new Japanese teacher (with a weird name, of course) Then, I'd pop in during their coffe break to freak them out.

Another option I had to choose was whether I was an active or inactive teacher. Hmmm....let's think about this. If you came into my class and saw me dead in my chair with my students quietly doing their work, I guess I'd be inactive. Other than that, wasn't really sure what that option was all about.

My favorite option was color. This was right under the nationality option. So I, as well as everyone else in the room, figured it meant racial or ethinic or...haha...skin color. I clicked the scroll option and BAM....there they were! About 70+ options of colors to choose from! I mean, if you asked me what color I am, I'd say I'm black. But this baby had so many to choose from. Some of my favorite follow:

Dimslate (This sounds like an insult. "What color are you?" "Oh, well I'm a dimslate." ".....")

Hotpink (*cough*)

Chocolate (This would answer the question one of my students asked me the other day: "Teacher, can I eat you?")

PapayaWhip (What in the world does this color look like?)

Fuchsia (Yes, I am royalty)

Palewhite (Well, there it is! Inactive teacher)

Metallic (enter stage right: Terminator Teacher Part 3: The Reckoning)

In the end, there were so many choices to choose from, I decided to choose the first color on the drop down list:

Transparent.

This way, if ever the principal wants to see me in a meeting, he won't be able to.

Feeling Misunderstood?...

Here are 6 PowerPoints (pun definitely intended) to get over it:
1 O Lord, you have examined me, and you know me.

2 You alone know when I sit down and when I get up. You read my thoughts from far away.

3 You watch me when I travel and when I rest. You are familiar with all my ways.

4 Even before there is a {single} word on my tongue, you know all about it, Lord.

5 You are all around me—in front of me and in back of me. You lay your hand on me.

6 Such knowledge is beyond my grasp. It is so high I cannot reach it.

prepared by King David (Psalms 139:1-6) using PowerPoint for Windows 1.0

inspired by someone who constantly needs to remember this

posted by the one who did the inspiring

Oh Lord, How Do I Love Thee?...

I'm not sure what true friendship is, but I think maybe it's something like this...

It is not with doubtful but with assured awareness, O Lord, that I love you. Your Word struck into my heart and from that moment I loved you. Besides this, all about me, heaven and earth and all that they contain proclaim that I should love you, and their message never ceases to sound in the ears of all humankind, so that there is no excuse for any not to love you. But, more than all this, you will have mercy on whom you will have mercy and will show compassion to whom you show compassion (Romans 9:15). But if it were not for your mercy, heaven and earth would cry your praises to deaf ears.

But what do I love when I love you? Not the beauty of body nor the gracefulness of temporal rhythm, not the brightness of light so friendly to the eyes, not the sweet and various melodies of songs, not the fragrance of flowers and ointments and spices, not manna and honey; not limbs receptive to bodily embraces. It is not these I love when I love my God. and yet, when I love him, I do love a kind of light, melody, fragrance, food, embrace; for he is a light, a melody, a fragrance, a food, an embracement in my inner self – where that light shines into my soul which no place can contain, and where that voice sounds which time does not sweep away, and where that fragrance breathes which no wind scatters, and where that flavour is relished which eating does not diminish, and where that embrace is felt which is not severed by fulfilment of desire. This is what I love when I love my God.

-St. Augustine

I Trust You Jesus. I Trust You...

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I don't know what to say, but please Lord you have your way,

for you know what's best for me, help me to see.

Life has not been easy, burdens they fall on me,

but you know what's best for me, help me to see.

-Sheldon Blackman, The Love Circle

School Of Prayer Students (SOPS)

...Keep going....Keep going....Keep going....Keep going...Keep going...Keep....going...

You may pray for an hour and still not pray. You may meet God for a moment and then be in touch with Him all day. --Fredrik Wisloff

I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go. -- Abraham Lincoln

Always respond to every impulse to pray. The impulse to pray may come when you are reading or when you are battling with a text. I would make an absolute law of this – always obey such an impulse. --Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Those who know God the best are the richest and most powerful in prayer. Little acquaintance with God, and strangeness and coldness to Him, make prayer a rare and feeble thing. --E. M. Bounds

When a Christian shuns fellowship with other Christians, the devil smiles. When he stops studying the Bible, the devil laughs. When he stops praying, the devil shouts for joy. --Corrie Ten Boom

Pray, and let God worry. -- Martin Luther

Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons; but they are helpless against our prayers. --J. Sidlow Baxter

O Lord, How Long?

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"O.....Before this time another year, I may be gone, in some lonesome graveyard, O Lord! how long...?"

I recently met one of my fellow church goers at Vivo City. We began chatting about stuff, shared inspiring stories, etc. What I remember most is what I said to this person at the end of our conversation...

"You know, the one thing that has kept me going in the Lord all this time? You know why I have the same testimony as our pastors [of not ever once having the thought of turning back on Jesus, or going to church]? One major reason is because of this..."

(I then looked around Page One...nice bookshop, btw)

"One day, all of this...all these books, all this fashion, food, shopping, people, culture, war, debates, stress, pain, careers, school, boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives, etc....one day all of this will be gone. What else IN the world is there to turn to?" Then I turned and went to eat some economical bee hoon. So much for dramatic endings...

I find it inspiring to keep the thought in my heart that today may be my last day on this planet...that in one more year I may be in some lonesome graveyard. Yea, I think if everyone thought like this we might not get so angry, we might say, "I love you" a little more, we might smile a little more, we might forgive in an instant instead of having to "pray" about it (as if one needs to pray about whether one should forgive). We might actually start acting like people destined for another world...a city with foundations not built with men's hands.

Alas, I am no where near keeping this thought at the forefront of my mind. Many days I regret the things I've said or done, or haven't said or haven't done. I got too angry, I rolled my eyes at someone, I allowed another person to frustrate me and, as a result, walk around with a clouded face which, in turn, shuns others away, etc, etc. You know, all the petty stuff that makes us humans.

I suppose thats why funerals are so powerful. We start to think of all the things we should have done, should have said, should have tried. Why not do, say, and try them now? I gotta ask myself that question more often...

Those of you with your family by your side, take heed! Treat your family today as if it was the last day you'd ever see them! And...

(I'd better stop now....a little girl once told me the way not to get homesick is not to think of home.)

Psalms Are Good

King David is a man after God’s own heart. He was a worshipper first and foremost. What glorious praise and honor he would bestow upon Jehovah! Yet this man said and went through, quite possibly, some of the most profound, deeply wounding, painful statements ever to grace the pages of the bible. And he is not alone in the 66 books we turn to for comfort (or at least we should turn to comfort). Jeremiah was known as the lamenting prophet. I mean, the brother wrote a book called, “Lamentations.” I mean, come on. What of Paul? He himself wrote to one of the churches of all the problems and pains he and his crew were going through in bringing the gospel to the then world. You know, Jesus wept. Jesus had sorrow so much that He was nigh to death in the garden. And wouldn’t you know!...Jesus had his best friends around him! The men he had loved for 3 years, day and night, through thick and thin!...oh, how they rushed to His side when he prayed, “Father, not my will, but thy will be done.” NOT.

Jesus was solo at His moment of greatest need. Moreover, when that situation worsened to Him being tried, beat, and crucified all His close buddies split. Let every Christian, every believer, every child of God hear this and hear this well: There will never come a time, at least in my short life thus far, when you can firmly and confidently rest assured that there will be other persons to lean on in times of trouble, tribulation, or suffering. I’ve seen church folk come to church (and not just in Singapore which, mind you, is only 2 out of 31 years of my “church” experience) and fall in the arms of other believers for comfort, talking about issues they face, getting help, advice, prayer even to guide them through their life stories. This is a good thing – it is what the family of God is about. If we don’t have each other, what have we? Well that’s my point: “You’ll never know God is all you need until God is all you have.” In the garden of Gethsemane our Lord faced imminent death. All that He had done in His life up to that point was indicative of His love for mankind. And yet, His life ended with Him being alone, cold, bloodied, and forsaken on a piece of wood stuck in a ground with His “friends” nowhere to be found. What shoulder did He have? What “gathering” was there for Him? He didn’t care about any of that stuff…He had a mission, a purpose. You and me. This love kept Him on the cross.

It is interesting to me that we would desire and recognize the need to follow Jesus’ example in everything except bearing our cross. Did He not command us to bear our cross and follow Him? Yes, the Son of God did many examples – healings, feedings, resurrection, etc. – while He was alive. This is all fine and good. But it wasn’t until He died that the full recompense of all that pain manifested itself to the world. As He said:

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…
(John 12:23-27)

My point is simple: I’ve observed that one could mistakenly think the seasons of traveling along life’s journey solo would one day give way to walking hand in hand – or shoulder to shoulder – with others on the same path and NEVER have times of lonliness, or misunderstanding from others, or just bearing the pressures of life alone again. What a silly thought. If that were true, I suppose we could wipe out about 1/3 of the psalms of David. What a weak man he was to complain, wail, cry, and admit his troubles! (Now who in their right mind would say such a thing...)

Ahh, but we cannot stop here. We must read the other 2/3 of the book. This is what makes life worth living – that at the end of the day, at the end of our strength, at the end of all things there will be our Jesus who paid the cost for our redemption. And when we see Him…when I see Him…I know what He’ll say: “Been there, done that. Come ‘ere kid…” (I’m sure He’ll say lots of other things, but I hope that’s one of them. With eternity on our side, I’m sure it’ll come out sooner or later…if there is a sooner or later in eternity.)

Random | modnaR

This ad was for a hair gel. It is supposed to help people stay messed up all day...as if the thought of a normal day is old-fashioned, we now have gel to mess people up all day! *sigh* Truly, we are living in the end times.

1. I find it much more fulfilling encouraging others than doing so to myself. In fact, it is when I am going through rough patches in life that encouraging, helping, and serving others brings me to a whole new level. When you forget about yourself and your issues (which, in the existential scheme of things, is quite small) and focus on others, I think a little bit of heaven invades your heart. Nice...

2. Someone I know almost had a nervous breakdown recently. For over an hour we talked on the phone. In the end, all was as well as it could be, but I learned some valuable tidbits about how the human mind works. I am convinced that the mind is the source of all victory as well as defeat. Fear, when left to breed unchecked, will utterly destroy your sense of inner peace in spite of your knowledge of God’s promises. Faith, when growing and active, will ultimately propel your life forward in spite of the manifest evidence of a discouraging environment surrounding you. This person had such a fearful “faith” of all the terrible things happening to him/her that life seemed unbearable. Tears coupled with sobbing cries of hopelessness filled my phone. Silence was my only repartee during brief moments of the conversation. Why? Was I mute? Did I lack words? No. I knew not what to say because this person was so very convinced that how he/she was perceiving the situation was true I could not see a way past the ironclad gate of the mind which trapped them so. A man is sorely convinced that the sky is yellow. Should you tell him, "No it isn't, it's blue," would he not promptly reply, "No it isn't, it's yellow"? The mind is a powerful thing. Do NOT let your mind rule you. Rule your mind. A quote:

“A man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed-seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.” –James Allen

3. I had my Japanese school farewell party the other night. Natsukashii ne…this is my final year with the Japanese school and accordingly the leaving teachers said their farewells. I said mine, quite moving I think it was. For me, Japan has been 4 years of my life: 2 in Kumamoto, 2 here in the Japanese school. Sitting there listening to the speeches, I couldn’t understand 80% of what they were saying. So, I did what I always used to do in Japan when sitting through speeches I didn't understand: think about something else. I started thinking about all the stuff I did in Japan. Then about all the stuff I just used to do in life.

a) Go running.
b) Play taiko.
c) Build R/C cars and race them.
d) Train on my mountain bike and road bike. Entered 2 races…
e) Was a nature reserve ranger. Fed baby bats, birds, and snakes.
f) Volunteered at an aquarium. In charge of the nurse sharks and petting tank.
g) President of film club in my high school. Used to video our school’s ice hockey team. (dude, that sport is rough)
h) Changed the oil in my family’s cars. Spark plugs too. Batteries, umm…
i) Cut grass every week. Rake leaves every fall. Shovel snow every winter. I always smile at the men doing ‘yard’ work here in Singapore. I envy them sometimes…but just wish I could show them THE RIGHT TOOLS TO USE.
j) Write 10 page letters (hand-written) to friends. With diagrams when I tried to explain something I wanted them to understand. I was long-handed long before I was long-winded.
k) Play the organ, piano, and drums in my church since the age of 14. Played in 5 different churches over my lifetime as the need arose and as my residence changed.
l) Did paintballing with my boy-scout troop…and my uncle. Dude, I love paintballing.
m) Camped out in summer, winter, fall, spring. Hiked and camped for 4 days and 3 nights with other freshmen before entering college. Nope..we didn’t shower for the whole time (we did find a rockin’ water hole on day 2, though…). Ever wonder how to brush your teeth and take care of yourself in the woods? Come, I teach you many things…
n) Owned about 6 cars in my life, and took care of ‘em. Subaru is the best!
o) Traveled around my Japanese town and state on my own for the entire 2 years I was there.
p) Cook my own food. I was a grocery shopping expert. Eating out was like twice a month.

Ok, so this list kinda wandered off point. But the good thing is it brought back memories. Good ones…

What Dress Will You Be Wearing?

...the view from me parent's bedroom back in me hometown back in the states...

I do not find that pictures of physical catastrophe - that sign in the clouds, those heavens rolled up like a scroll - help one so much as the naked idea of judgment. We cannot always be excited. We can, perhaps, trains ourselves to ask more and more often how the thing which we are saying or doing (or failing to do) at each moment will look when the irresistible light streams in upon it; that light which is so different from the light of this world - and yet, even now, we know just enough of it to take it into account. Women sometimes have the problem of trying to judge by artificial light how a dress will look by daylight. That is very like the problem of all of us: to dress our souls not for the electric lights of the present world but for the daylight of the next. The good dress is the one that will face that light. For that light will last longer.

-C.S. Lewis, The World's Last Night.

Ohisashi buri desu ne...

Wow, I haven't blogged in a while.

Soon, I'll be home...

Click Here To Play

No more sadness, no more tears, no more darkness, no more fears.
I'm going to meet my savior, my brother and my friend.
I'm going to live forever, my joys will never end!

Lord, I'm coming home,
Lord, I'm coming home,
You have a place prepared for me, I'll dwell with you eternally,
Sit by the gates of glory, cause Lord I'm coming home...

It's time for me to take my rest, from life's unending race
I'm thankful that you took the time to bless me with your grace
You gave me time to understand your mercy and your love,
I now it's time for me to dwell with you above,

I'm coming home, Lord...

Father Forgive Them

Click Here To Play

Having finished my bible study, there were points in our lessons that we talked about regarding the state of the world...how none of this was God's plan for mankind. 

Death, anger, fear, disease, poverty, lonliness, dispair, regret, lying, war, greed, lust, hedonism, having no hope...the world is in need of a savior.  Jesus Christ alone offers forgiveness.  My heart, during those lessons, were heavy with these cries:

Father, forgive them...for they do not know what they do.

Father, forgive us...for we do not what we know to do.

Father, forgive me...for I know what I must do, and do it not.

Father, give strength!...to do what needs to be done!

Father, give favor!...to reach those who know not your love!

Father, give time!...for there are so many more who may believe...

Father, send peace...

...grace,

send the latter rain...

 

Love God? Who me?

...this is love...

Some writers use the word charity to describe not only Christian love between human beings, but also God's love for man and man's love for God. About the second of these two, people are often worried. They are told they ought to love God. They cannot find any such feeling in themselves. What are they to do?

The answer is the same as before. Act as if you did. Do not sit trying to manufacture feelings. Ask yourself, 'If I were sure that I loved God, what would I do?' When you have found the answer, go and do it.

-C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Got Humility?

Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call 'humble' nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.

If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realise that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.

-C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

The Discussion Is Continued by Mom!

Picture taken just before lift off of the right tower there...haha.

My mom is so cool. Just after having a deep discussion on the matter of which to do - be yourself, or be a Roman (in a Roman land) with some friends (over some ice cream, mind you), I get home and find this in my inbox from my mother. She had no idea i've been thinking and chatting with people recently about this same said topic. Hey mom, love ya! What you sent was spot on and totally a move of the Holy Spirit. Still...there is that nagging issue of abandoning one's own personality and characteristics when in an environment that doesn't understand or relate to those same said traits. Of course, this passage of scripture and prayer go much, much deeper than the surface level of the question at hand and thus answers the question for all intents and purposes. Still, though....I have questions...


When I am with the Jews, I become one of them so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with those who follow the Jewish laws, I do the same, even though I am not subject to the law, so that I can bring them to Christ. When I am with the Gentiles who do not have the Jewish law, I fit in with them as much as I can. In this way, I gain their confidence and bring them to Christ. But I do not discard the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ. (1 Cor 9:20-22 NLT)

Prayer: LORD, help me find common ground to reach others with the message of Your grace, mercy, and salvation. I need Your wisdom to know how far to go to identify with them, yet not compromise my integrity or our relationship. In every opportunity I encounter, help me clearly recognize Your leadership and follow Your dir ections with courage and confidence. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Outta site, outta mind....outta heart, gone.

A view somewhere around my house in America

I just finished viewing most of my family's blogs, myspaces, etc. Here are some things I found...

Pictures of:
- my new cousins, nieces, and nephews who I've never met
- my grandparents house in which 3 generations lived. One where I have fond memories of drinking my grandmother's Cool-Aid, watching my grandfather play Nintendo (after preaching that Sunday...he's so cool), and my sister, cuzs, aunts, and uncles just relaxing for the rest of the day in the 10+ rooms of their late 1800 house
- my father and his motorcycle chillin at a BBQ...I think he's surgically attached to his bike
- my aunts and uncles having fun
- my family visiting my grandfather in the hospital
- my moms talking to some person (who's back is to the camera...)
- the old parking lot in my grandparents home where we used to eat sunday after sunday as a big family
- my cousins all grown up and living large in college, about to graduate (will probably miss their graduation...) (dude...)
- my old church that I spent from 0 yrs to 23 yrs old in. The evangelists, the ministers, the adults who guided me in the ways of God. People who I've never met the likes of since. They taught me the sacredness of this faith in Christ.
- the altar in my church where I got the Holy Ghost...and my grandfather standing in the pulpit exhorting us to live holy, powerful, and radical lives in Christ
- my large family hugging, kissing, and laughing with one another
- my cousin on her first flying lesson high up in the sky
- my nieces, who I don't, giving my grandpops a massage in the hospital bed

A couple of months ago one of the children in my church here in Singapore was chatting with me online. They asked,
"Are you homesick? Do you get homesick?"
I replied,
"Sometimes...yes. Of course."
(she paused after that for a little while...and then)
"Well, just don't think about home, and you won't be sick!"

My pause after that was much, much longer....

Got Love?

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Now I may faith to make mountains fall, but if I lack love then I am nothing at all,

I can give away everything I possess, but am without love then I have no happiness,

I know I'm imperfect, and not without sin, but now that I'm older all childish things end...

Must Be Yourself In Foreign Land -or- When In Rome Do As Romans

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In my eyes I see a blur of things that others see so clearly,

in my strength I run away from things that cause my heart to fear.

Back and forth and back again unto the place where I began,

maybe I'm making this much harder than it is.

The 'ol Church Bulletin

These came with the disclaimer: "These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins and were announced in church services. Some old, some not." How true that is, I dunno. But I sure laughed my head off with some of 'em!

The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.

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The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water." The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus."
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Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.
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Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
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The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.
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Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "Hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.
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Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
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Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
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For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs .
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Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
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The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing: "Break Forth Into Joy."
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Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days!
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A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow..
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At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What Is Hell?"
Come early and listen to our choir practice.
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Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
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Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
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Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
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The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.
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Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.
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The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind.They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
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This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church.
Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
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Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. is done.
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The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
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Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
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The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
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Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance .
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The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours"

I'm beginning to love this man...

...cause he writes how I think. Arg, now if I could only write like I think...

The reason why it can never succeed is this. God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion*. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. - C.S. Lewis, "Mere Christianity"

*let the reader understand that Mr. Lewis was most probably refering to the entire notion of a man's relationship [way of relating to God] with God when using the word "religion" in this passage.

I give up...

It is when the voices of both friend and foe become distant that I

I clearly hear the Voice behind them...calling. Speaking...listening.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want....

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

I am part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by presence, lean by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace is set, my destiny is Heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, yet my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed.
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of an enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when he comes to get his own, He will have no problem recognizing me.

It's the Thought That Counts

What a funny picture

Who Are You? Where are you?

I've been feeling like this guy for the past 2 years.

One of these days, God's going to say, "This way," and it's

on to the next adventure...

A tree gives glory to God by being a tree. For in being what God means it to be it is obeying Him…. The more a tree is like itself, the more it is like Him…. This particular tree will give glory to God by spreading out its roots in the earth and raising its branches into the air and the light in a way that no other tree before or after it ever did or will do….


The special clumsy beauty of this particular colt on this April day in this field under these clouds is a holiness consecrated to God by His own creative wisdom and it declares the glory of God. The pale flowers of the dogwood outside this window are saints. The little yellow flowers that nobody notices on the edge of that road are saints looking up into the face of God. This leaf has it own texture and its own pattern of veins and its own holy shape, and the bass and trout hiding in the deep pools of the river are canonised by their beauty and their strength. The lakes hidden among the hills are saints, and the sea too is a saint who praises God without interruption in her majestic dance.


The great, gashed, half-naked mountain is another of God's saints. There is no other like him. He is alone in his own character; nothing else in the world ever did or ever will imitate God in quite the same way. That is his sanctity…. For me to be a saint means to be myself. Therefore the problem of sanctity and salvation is in fact the problem of finding out who I am and of discovering my true self.


Trees and animals have no problem. God makes them what they are without consulting them, and they are perfectly satisfied. With us it is different. God leaves us free to be whatever we like. We can be ourselves or not, as we please. We are at liberty to be real, or to be unreal. We may be true or false, the choice is ours. We may wear now one mask and now another, and never, if we so desire, appear with our own true face. But we cannot make these choices with impunity. Causes have effects, and if we lie to ourselves and to others, then we cannot expect to find truth and reality whenever we happen to want them. If we have chosen the way of falsity we must not be surprised that truth eludes us when we finally come to need it! Our vocation is not simply to be, but to work together with God in the creation of our own life, our own identity, our own destiny….


The seeds that are planted in my liberty at every moment, by God's will, are the seeds of my own identity, my own reality, my own happiness, my own sanctity…. Every one of us is shadowed by an illusory person: a false self. This is the person that I want myself to be but who cannot exist, because God does not know anything about him. And to be unknown to God is altogether too much privacy. My false and private self is the one who wants to exist outside the reach of God's will and God's love - outside of reality and outside of life. And such a self cannot help but be an illusion. We are not very good at recognising illusions, least of all the ones we cherish about ourselves - the ones we are born with and which feed the roots of sin. For most of the people in the world, there is no greater subjective reality than this false self of theirs, which cannot exist. A life devoted to the cult of this shadow is what is called a life of sin.


All sin starts from the assumption that my false self, the self that exists only in my own egocentric desires, is the fundamental reality of life to which everything else in the universe is ordered. Thus I use up my life in the desire for pleasures and the thirst for experiences, for power, honour, knowledge and love, to clothe this false self and construct its nothingness into something objectively real. And I wind experiences around myself and cover myself with pleasures and glory like bandages in order to make myself perceptible to myself and to the world, as if I were an invisible body that could only become visible when something visible covered its surface….


-THOMAS MERTON

I Love Dogs

Ok, what in the WORLD is going on in this picture? The kid looks as if he's going to cry, holding his dog. Is the dog about to go to the meat factory and get "processed"? I mean, look at those meat sticks in the lower right...are those pictures of other nameless dogs who left their little boy owners dog-less? Perhaps the boy realizes that his little pup is next...I wonder who was the dude in charge of advertising for this piece. I wonder how that stuff tastes....

Sights for Sore Eyes

If you've never experienced it, you just won't understand...

...but if you ever get the chance to experience it, don't pass it up for anything.

Snow, that is...

NEW MCUBE AGM PHOTOS UPLOADED

I love my Sony Ericsson phone :-)

I JUST UPLOADED NEW PHOTOS OF THE MCUBE'S AGM. CLICK ON THE LINK OVER THERE UNDER THE CBOX TO ENJOY STRANGE AND TRUE CONTRAPTIONS OF OUR BEAUTIFUL AND HANDSOME CREW MEMBERS.

Audio DeFreuincialosalambadihama

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I think that's the name of the group...? 

 Yea, we had fun back in the day...looking forward to many more "blooper" days ahead.  I think the kids should hear all of these one day!

....

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you: The Laugh Song

Survival Music

Click to Play

I like Hillsongs...but sometimes my spirit needs more.  This girl sang her heart out, and anointed thousands of other hearts in the process.

 More than that, this song and version of it carried me over some of the most terrible, monstrous mountains and darkest, friend-forsaken valleys over the years.  It was true then, and it remains a familiar truth now.  May it be an encouragement and provocation to go forward, dear reader!

The race is not given, to the swift, nor to the strong…

But to the one that endureth, until the end!

They’ll be problems, and sometimes you walk alone.

But I know, that I know, that I know…things will work out, yes they will...

            ...For the good of them who loves the Lord!

Eyes have not seen, and neither have ears heard.

The things God has prepared for them that love Him!

Sometimes you may have to cry,

sometimes you may have to walk alone.

But I know, that I know, that I know, things will work out, yes they will...

            ...For the good of them who loves the Lord!

No matter what the problem, you can’t solve it.

They will come, but don’t you worry!

It will work out, for the good of them who love the Lord. (x2)

 

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