22 August 2007

Before the throne of God above

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea
A great high priest whose name is love
whoever lives and pleads for me


My name is graven on His hands
My name is written in His heart
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongues can bid me thence depart
No tongues can bid me thence depart


When Satan tempts me to despair
and tells me of the guilt within
upward I look and see Him there
who made an end to all my sins

Because the sinless saviour died
My sinful soul is counted free
for God, the Just, is satisfied
to look on him and pardon me
to look on him and pardon me

Behold Him there the Risen Lamb
My perfect spotless righteousness
the great unchangeable I am
the King of glory and of grace!

One with himself I can not die
my soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on High
with Christ, my saviour and my God
with Christ, my saviour and my God


What a glorious hope! How wonderful is your work, God!

20 August 2007

Palmy the AGM week

Palmy OCF AGM is this Friday 25 August. Please be praying for us guys as the new boys and girls take the beton...my wishes are that I dun stop serving God wherever I go whether working or off to continue on master degree. I want to keep serving...be praying for me as I step down from the comittee.

My prayers for Palmy OCF is that it will continue to be a powerful witness of Christ on campus, the place where people may learn about God and worship Him in everyway, the place for the "needy" to come and find a safe place and a family for the international students at Massey.

God bless you OCF Palmy!

Ah...cant imagine I leave my second family...Lilis hearts OCF!! muackks muackks.

17 August 2007

So She dances

A waltz when she walks in the room
She blows back the hair from her face
She turns to the window to sway in the moonlight
Even her shadow has grace

A waltz for the girl out of reach
She lifts her hands up to the sky
She moves with the music
The song is her lover
The melody's making her cry

So she dances
In and out of the crowd like a glance
This romance is
From afar calling me silently

A waltz for the chance I should take
But how will I know where to start?
She's spinning between constellations and dreams

Her rhythm is my beating heart

So she dances In and out of the crowd like a glance
This romance is
From afar calling me silently
I can't keep on watching forever
I give up this view just to tell her

When I close my eyes I can see
The spotlights are bright on you and me
We've got the floor
And you're in my arms
How could I ask for more?

So she dances
In and out of the crowd like a glance
This romance is
From afar calling me silently
I can't keep on watching forever
And I'm givin' up this view just to tell her


Josh Groban - So She dances

Tired

This is prolly the second or third post that contains the word "Tired". Yeah, Tired but joyful though. This week has been interesting. I had lectures on Quality Management this week and it has been the most thought provoking, I really enjoy Don's lecture, we had group activities, class discussion, all sorts and he was pasionate with quality. I wish I had more lecturers like him. The things that He taught us are not easy, are not popular, they require a lot of thinking, understanding our state as human being in order to understand and manage others (He is teaching us how to be good managers). Yesterday, we were talking about system, how do we define system and whether it exists or not. Together as a class we came up with

System has or is:
  • Interaction between sub-systems or elements
  • The sum of parts doesnt equal to the whole part working together, meaning when parts work together there is emergent characteristic (greater and more beneficial outcome) that is impossible to be achieved by one part/sub-system/element alone.
  • There is structure of the parts/hierarchy of the parts
  • Purposeful(?)
  • has a network
  • etc (which normally means I forgot, hehe)

But, I had a discussion with Don regarding whether system exists or not. He reckoned because we define the word "system" therefore system exists. If we didnt find the word "system" there would be no system. In our class, Don suggested one of the examples of systems is solar system. This example was used to question whether system actually has a purpose/purposeful. One of my classmates said that this then lead to the acceptance of intelligent design, there is a creator behind solar system and it serves a purpose for Him. I was kinda sad as Don said that He is not going to let the discussion into religion or theology. We are taught that the university distribute truth, and I was also taught that the only failure was not to learn from what was taught and the material being taught contain faults. By shutting the discussion, it kinda decided to be blinded or discard other possible options (which might be true) in order to explain system. But, anyway He said that He could show me 1200 pages of debate regarding the whole issue of system definition and was wandering if I am interested. Oh...I wish I had all the time. Hehe. But, I decided to drop it (too many pages...Prolly will start crying after page 10). He didnt say what I believed was wrong but He just said to continue thinking about it. What was concluded and taught in the class regarding "system" was a collection of agreeable definitions amongst scholars.

Overall, I found his lectures was interesting and I was sad to find out that today was his last lecture.

This week has been a week of inspiration to study...and study things. I wanna study theology and history simply because I wanna know more about the truth, so I may trust God more, more awe and reverence to Him, more joy, and also being ready to defend it. I am also interested in studying management and economy (basically from Don's lecture and my marketing paper) and obviously science. Learn more...yay happy learning...I sound ambitious? yeah...Can be tempted to that, I will wait for God and see, I wanna be faithful with whatever He has entrusted me to have currently...Food Technology and some good christian books and friends.

Oh academia has been very interesting this week. I am very tired but happy :).

Much Love

Lilis

09 August 2007

Joy

Not long ago, I had posted my own thought on the chapter "Love" from John Piper's Desiring God. Then, a friend sent me an e-mail regarding things that John had learnt from his dad. I posted the e-mail content just before this one. Anyway, I thought John in his book was proposing what to do when we dont feel like loving others. I mentioned in my last post that the concept that Piper was teaching is new to me but when I read what He learnt from his dad, I found that the concept was not new.

The part about joy in things John had learnt from his dad:

3. Happiness is not found by looking for it. You stumble over happiness on the road to duty.

My, my, my. How was John Piper born from this? I would never say this. The main reason is that the Bible commands us to pursue our joy repeatedly. “Rejoice in the Lord, and again I say rejoice.” “Delight yourself in the Lord.” I think what he meant was: 1) Joy is always in something. Joy itself is not the something. So we seek joy in Christ. Not just joy in general. 2) When duty is hard and we do not feel joy in doing it, we should still do it, and pray that in the doing it the joy would be given. But what we need to make plain is that duty cannot be contrasted with joy, because joy is a biblical duty.

He emphasised that when we dont feel like loving others, we should do it anyway, praying to God as we do it that He will give us joy. Joy is a biblical duty, we have to have joy in what we are doing. Previously, I had thought that when I dont have joy in showing love to others, I should refrain from doing the "duty" and pray to God for joy. Once the joy filled my heart, then I shall go about loving others. I dunno...I think Piper is saying that we shouldnt refrain from loving others eventhough we dont feel like it but ask God for joy. Feel free to help me out.

08 August 2007

Things I have learned

"Since my father died on March 6, I have been looking through his papers. I found a small sheet with the following fifteen counsels, titled “Things I Have Learned.” He didn't make most of these up. Some of them go back to his college days when he was absorbing the pithy wisdom of Bob Jones Senior. They have again confirmed the obvious: I owe my father more than I can ever remember. The comment after each one is mine.

Things I Have Learned

1. The right road always leads to the right place; therefore, get on the right road and go as far as you can on it.

My father was totally persuaded that wrong means do not lead to right ends. Or, more positively, he was persuaded that living in the right way ??? that is, doing the right things ??? are means that inevitably lead to where God wants us to be. This is why he told me, when I asked about God’s leading in my life, “Son, keep the room clean where you are, and in God’s time, the door to the next room will open.”

2. There is only one thing to do about anything; that is the right thing. Do right.

This is what one might say to a person perplexed by a difficult situation whose outcome is unknown. The person might say, “I just don’t know what to do about this.” It is not useless to be told: Do the right thing. That may not tell you exactly which good thing to do, but it does clear the air and rule out a few dozen bad ideas.

3. Happiness is not found by looking for it. You stumble over happiness on the road to duty.

My, my, my. How was John Piper born from this? I would never say this. The main reason is that the Bible commands us to pursue our joy repeatedly. “Rejoice in the Lord, and again I say rejoice.” “Delight yourself in the Lord.” I think what he meant was: 1) Joy is always in something. Joy itself is not the something. So we seek joy in Christ. Not just joy in general. 2) When duty is hard and we do not feel joy in doing it, we should still do it, and pray that in the doing it the joy would be given. But what we need to make plain is that duty cannot be contrasted with joy, because joy is a biblical duty.

4. The door to success swings on the hinges of opposition.

Remarkably, this saying implies that opposition is not just a natural accompaniment or antecedent of success, but that it is a means by which the door opens. One can think of many biblical examples. The opposition of Joseph’s brothers opened the door to his leadership in Egypt. The taxing of the empire opened the door to getting the Messiah born in Bethlehem, not Nazareth, and thus fulfilling prophecy. The betrayal of Judas opened the door to the salvation of the world.

5. God in the right place in my life fixes every other relationship of life (Matthew 6:33).

I wonder if this was tucked away in my mind so that unknown to me it controlled my analogy of the solar system to our many-faceted lives. If God is the blazing center of the solar system of our lives, then all the planets will be held in their proper orbit. But if not, everything goes awry.

6. It is never right to get the right thing in the wrong way ??? like good grades, wealth, power, position. Don’t sacrifice your principles.

Again, he hammers away at don’t use bad means for good ends. Be a principled, not a pragmatic, person. O how we need to hear this today. Churches need to be principled, not endlessly adapting to culture. Persons need to make a promise and keep it no matter how much it hurts.

7. It is a sin to do less than your best. It is wrong to do well.

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). But be careful. Sometimes the “best” is a B+ sermon and spending time with your child. In other words, “best” always involves more decisions than the one you are making at the moment. That one means many other things are being left undone. So “best” is always the whole thing, not just the detail of the moment.

8. It is wrong to be yoked to one who refuses the yoke of Christ.

Don’t marry an unbeliever (1 Corinthians 7:39). Not all relationships with unbelievers are ruled out. Otherwise we could not obey Jesus’ command to love them and bless them. But “yoke” implies a connectedness that either governs where we go or constrains where they go. And you cannot constrain faith in Jesus. It is free.

9. The part of your character that is deficient is the part that needs attention.

This is the counterpoint to the advice: Go with your strengths. There is truth in both. Yes, be encouraged by every evidence of God’s grace in your life, and use your gifts and graces for his glory. But you will become smug and vain if you do not keep your deficiencies before you and work on them.

10. Don’t quit. Finish the job. God can’t use a quitter.

Warning: “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13). Promise: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

11. Anything you do that hinders your progress for God is wrong.

O how thankful I am that this was the dominant way my father pressed me to pursue my sanctification. He did not mainly impose lists of don’ts on me, though we had them. And they were clear. Mainly he said: Maximize your progress in knowing and serving God. That ruled out a hundred foolish behaviors, some bad and some uselessly innocent.

12. Beware of any society in which you feel compelled to put a bushel over your testimony.

This implies that you can go into a group of people who are evil if you are willing to open your mouth and take a stand for Jesus and righteousness. Nevertheless, 1 Corinthians 15:33 stands: “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’”

13. It isn’t enough to be good. Be good for something. The essence of Christianity is not a passionless purity.

This is what I have meant in talking about a merely avoidance ethic. Don’t just think of righteousness or holiness in terms of what you avoid, but what you do. As my father said in another place: Don’t be a don’ter; be a doer.

14. Positive living produces negative effect[s].

This is wise counsel that affirmation of the good always implies negation of the bad. If you think you can live your life without negating anything, you have lost touch with reality. “Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9). You cannot love without hating what hurts the beloved.

15. Learn to be sweetly firm.

This was what he said to my mother over the phone when she was exasperated with her one disobedient son: Be sweet and firm. I think she succeeded.
With abiding and deep thankfulness for my father’s wisdom,"

John Piper

07 August 2007

What the world eat?

The Ayme family of Tingo
(loved the pic very much, look at their smile)




Check out What the world eat?

The link was from Sarah. I found it really amusing, comparing families and how family in different country are surviving with the amount of food/money they have. After you had a look, you might think that you dont need some of the food you have. What a priviledge we have...it should move us to help those who are in need.


What makes you eat more food?




Check out an excellent Photo essay done by Time regarding environmental factors that make you want to eat and eat and eat...

03 August 2007

Does the Bible contain error(s)?

Do you believe in the inerrancy of the scripture? Why/Why not?

Gimme your thoughts. Now.

02 August 2007

Rejection

If someone rejects your idea,
It is your idea that is being rejected, Not you.

If someone rejects you,
God has accepted you fully, just as you are, and that is sufficient.
Cling on to Him.

You can not afford not to offend anyone in this world.
For if you are living your life with reverence to God,
Someone will be offended by your decisions.