I can relinquish control. I can. Remember trust fall?
There's only so much I can control anyway. So set aside my own will and let God do what He will. I pray that He will prepare my heart for what is to come, and help me to have faith and to never doubt Him. I may get confused, but I should never doubt Him.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Falling in Love with God
beautiful how Matt Chandler writes his journey on The Village Church's webpage:
"in the middle of all those doubts, in the middle of all those intellectual barriers, I think Jesus just got tired of playing with me and said, “No, you’re mine.” He rescued me and captivated my heart, and I just immediately fell in love."
"in the middle of all those doubts, in the middle of all those intellectual barriers, I think Jesus just got tired of playing with me and said, “No, you’re mine.” He rescued me and captivated my heart, and I just immediately fell in love."
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Hope for the day
当太阳还没升起时，
黑夜的沉默透入每一个角落
希望静悄悄地爬上树叶
滴入你的心中 一滴一滴盛满你的心房
给予你力量 面对新的一天
这就是每一天，若不经意就会错过的奇迹
Before the sun rises,
When the silence of the night permeates every nook and cranny
Hope quietly makes its way up onto the leaves of the trees
and drips into your heart
Drop by drop
filling the recesses of your heart with strength to face the new day
This is a daily miracle, one that you would miss if you hadn't paid enough attention to notice it
黑夜的沉默透入每一个角落
希望静悄悄地爬上树叶
滴入你的心中 一滴一滴盛满你的心房
给予你力量 面对新的一天
这就是每一天，若不经意就会错过的奇迹
Before the sun rises,
When the silence of the night permeates every nook and cranny
Hope quietly makes its way up onto the leaves of the trees
and drips into your heart
Drop by drop
filling the recesses of your heart with strength to face the new day
This is a daily miracle, one that you would miss if you hadn't paid enough attention to notice it
Friday, July 11, 2014
Who can fathom the depths of God's love for His people? Those who have returned as well as those who have not yet returned. How He yearns to be reconciled to us, yet when will we realize and deeply appreciate how much our souls really truly want to be reconnected back to Him? For He is the source of the meaning of life. God is love.
Friday, June 20, 2014
Gluttony
Came across this article today - the socially acceptable sin
Truly we live in a society where having what we like and want is not difficult, and getting more and more is possible. At some point, "having more" goes from being "I would like to but would do perfectly well without" to "I have to have more!" Food is but one way that this can manifest, I could want more friends, more affirmation, more clothes, more results, more sun, more hobbies - so how much will be enough for me?
Truly we live in a society where having what we like and want is not difficult, and getting more and more is possible. At some point, "having more" goes from being "I would like to but would do perfectly well without" to "I have to have more!" Food is but one way that this can manifest, I could want more friends, more affirmation, more clothes, more results, more sun, more hobbies - so how much will be enough for me?
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
chpt7 TTTAY
The boat functions, not in the shed or boathouse with other boats, but in the water.
The boat functions in the water, but not when the water is in it.
Even so, we are human beings not human doings.
The boat functions in the water, but not when the water is in it.
Even so, we are human beings not human doings.
Wednesday, June 04, 2014
Grow
link here
Don’t lose yourself at happy hour, but don’t lose yourself on the corporate ladder either. Stop every once in a while and go out to coffee or climb in bed with your journal. Ask yourself some good questions like: “Am I proud of the life I’m living? What have I tried this month? What have I learned about God this year? What parts of my childhood faith am I leaving behind, and what parts am I choosing to keep with me for this leg of the journey? Do the people I’m spending time with give me life, or make me feel small? Is there any brokenness in my life that’s keeping me from moving forward?”
Now is your time. Become, believe, try.
Don’t lose yourself at happy hour, but don’t lose yourself on the corporate ladder either. Stop every once in a while and go out to coffee or climb in bed with your journal. Ask yourself some good questions like: “Am I proud of the life I’m living? What have I tried this month? What have I learned about God this year? What parts of my childhood faith am I leaving behind, and what parts am I choosing to keep with me for this leg of the journey? Do the people I’m spending time with give me life, or make me feel small? Is there any brokenness in my life that’s keeping me from moving forward?”
Now is your time. Become, believe, try.
Sunday, April 06, 2014
so, where is home?
It is possible, I suppose, to miss home terribly, not know what home really is anymore, and refuse to go home, all at once.
I hope this NYtimes article doesnt become unavailable..
I hope this NYtimes article doesnt become unavailable..
Saturday, April 05, 2014
5 bible verses often misused
These are from http://www.faithstreet.com/onfaith/2014/04/01/five-bible-verses-you-need-to-stop-misusing/31534
But in sum:
Jeremiah 29:11 “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you...’”
NOT all about me. NOT about my personal fulfillment. God may need to move me somewhere difficult so I can learn what it means to show who God is in this difficult place.
Romans 8:28 “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . . ”
“In all things, God works for the good of those who love him.” In other words, whatever your circumstances, good or bad, God is still fighting for you.
The happy ending promised is the ULTIMATE happy ending, the renewal of ALL THINGS. To quote N.T. Wright, “The world is still groaning, and we with it; but God is with us in the groaning, and will bring it out for good.”
Luke 11:9 "Ask and it will be given to you"
It’s not, “Ask for anything you want.” It’s more like, “Ask for my kingdom, and you will have it.”
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me"
It's about contentment and hope. What Paul was saying is not so much “I can achieve anything,” but “I can endure anything” – which, in his case, included prison.
Matthew 26:11 "You will always have the poor among you"
Jesus was referencing Deut 15, where the writer says “There need be no poor people among you,” the writer insisted, “if only you fully obey.” A few lines later, he added, “There will always be poor people in the land.” This was a concession to reality, not an excuse for apathy. In fact, it was all the more reason to be openhanded with the poor.
But in sum:
Jeremiah 29:11 “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you...’”
NOT all about me. NOT about my personal fulfillment. God may need to move me somewhere difficult so I can learn what it means to show who God is in this difficult place.
Romans 8:28 “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . . ”
“In all things, God works for the good of those who love him.” In other words, whatever your circumstances, good or bad, God is still fighting for you.
The happy ending promised is the ULTIMATE happy ending, the renewal of ALL THINGS. To quote N.T. Wright, “The world is still groaning, and we with it; but God is with us in the groaning, and will bring it out for good.”
Luke 11:9 "Ask and it will be given to you"
It’s not, “Ask for anything you want.” It’s more like, “Ask for my kingdom, and you will have it.”
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me"
It's about contentment and hope. What Paul was saying is not so much “I can achieve anything,” but “I can endure anything” – which, in his case, included prison.
Matthew 26:11 "You will always have the poor among you"
Jesus was referencing Deut 15, where the writer says “There need be no poor people among you,” the writer insisted, “if only you fully obey.” A few lines later, he added, “There will always be poor people in the land.” This was a concession to reality, not an excuse for apathy. In fact, it was all the more reason to be openhanded with the poor.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Good teachers
In watching my pastor and my boss, I realised good teachers don't just teach what/how they have been taught, they teach what they think should be taught.
*in awe*
Thursday, January 30, 2014
The beautiful transformation of Christianity
I continue to be amazed at how much of a genius CS Lewis is to come up with something as beautiful as this:
"And that is precisely what Christianity is about. This world is a great sculptor's shop. We are the statues and there is a rumour going round the shop that some of us are someday going to come to life."
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
From the teachers at my old school
I was never taught by these teachers, but what he wrote for his farewell interview is really nice. Quoting his friend,
“if you leave this school with your four grade As and you don’t feel slightly fraudulent about yourself, there’s something wrong with you.”
Wednesday, November 06, 2013
When making decisions
And afraid that I'm not in God's will, ask:
"Where do I see myself joining God's redemptive work?
How will this decision affect my participation in God's work?
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/what-if-i-miss-god%E2%80%99s-will
"Where do I see myself joining God's redemptive work?
How will this decision affect my participation in God's work?
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/what-if-i-miss-god%E2%80%99s-will
Monday, August 05, 2013
Humility
When you offer advice/opinion, people say, "yea yea, now you're Christian, only you know what is best."
When you make a poor choice, people say, "so what if you're Christian? You're no better than any of us."
True, just as we are, no man is any better/worse than any other. Turning to Jesus allows a teacher into our lives to guide us, a father to lean on, a chance to be forgiven and make right. Turning to Jesus doesn't mean we'll never make mistakes again - human as we are, we don't always remember to surrender all decisions to Him. But we are given multiple chances to fight the same temptation if need be, drawing strength from our God, until through Him we are victorious over these challenges, again and again. Every "wrong decision" is a lesson in diminishing myself and leaning on Him, surrendering to His will, until hopefully one day it may become second nature to us. None of us are there yet, but our Father in heaven loves us anyway, and will always be encouraging us. He will not give up on us, neither should we give up on ourselves.
So when we make a mistake and men judge, it's ok to say, I was wrong. Men are poor representation of who Jesus is. Don't judge Jesus or God based on men, find out about Him by reading His word and talking to Him in prayer.
What we do matters
Faith that doesn't change the way we think, the way we do things, our attitudes really isn't faith at all. But acting like Jesus, doing the things He does, teaching the things He teaches without faith recognizing him as God's son, without experiencing His love for each of us will cause us to go wayward. What we do becomes a chore, and no longer out of the joy of His love. At it's root, Christianity isn't about changing the kind of person you are, or what you do, or what you say. It isn't about making life easier. It isn't about building a life that the whole world envies. It is primarily about building a relationship with Jesus. Everything else is an extension of how that relationship shapes our hearts.
When you make a poor choice, people say, "so what if you're Christian? You're no better than any of us."
True, just as we are, no man is any better/worse than any other. Turning to Jesus allows a teacher into our lives to guide us, a father to lean on, a chance to be forgiven and make right. Turning to Jesus doesn't mean we'll never make mistakes again - human as we are, we don't always remember to surrender all decisions to Him. But we are given multiple chances to fight the same temptation if need be, drawing strength from our God, until through Him we are victorious over these challenges, again and again. Every "wrong decision" is a lesson in diminishing myself and leaning on Him, surrendering to His will, until hopefully one day it may become second nature to us. None of us are there yet, but our Father in heaven loves us anyway, and will always be encouraging us. He will not give up on us, neither should we give up on ourselves.
So when we make a mistake and men judge, it's ok to say, I was wrong. Men are poor representation of who Jesus is. Don't judge Jesus or God based on men, find out about Him by reading His word and talking to Him in prayer.
What we do matters
Faith that doesn't change the way we think, the way we do things, our attitudes really isn't faith at all. But acting like Jesus, doing the things He does, teaching the things He teaches without faith recognizing him as God's son, without experiencing His love for each of us will cause us to go wayward. What we do becomes a chore, and no longer out of the joy of His love. At it's root, Christianity isn't about changing the kind of person you are, or what you do, or what you say. It isn't about making life easier. It isn't about building a life that the whole world envies. It is primarily about building a relationship with Jesus. Everything else is an extension of how that relationship shapes our hearts.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Surrender
Everybody surrenders to something or someone in life. If not to God, you'll surrender to popular opinion, to money, to resentment or fear, or to your own pride, lust, and ego.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
7-year post doc
Because for sure I will need to come back to read this
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/07/21/the-awesomest-7-year-postdoc-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-tenure-track-faculty-life/
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/07/21/the-awesomest-7-year-postdoc-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-tenure-track-faculty-life/
Monday, July 01, 2013
Snippets - The gospel is not a behavior control program
fr http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/god-our-generation/gospel-not-behavior-control-program
...we often put our energy into changing others’ behavior, rather than introducing them to this astounding grace. I know I am far more comfortable when people do what I believe they’re supposed to be doing. And although it’s a complicated formula, I suspect I’ve desired it with more passion and energy than I have desired that the same individuals truly encounter God’s great love for them as they are.
The love that is meant to mark us as Christians is meant to receive people in the generous and gracious way Jesus received people.
To receive an “other” as they are, without first mandating behavior changes, requires us to tolerate a bit of anxiety or discomfort. It demands that we release, or at least relax, our natural impulse to announce our opinions. To receive another as they are, and not as we wish them to be, is to agree with the apostle Paul’s conviction that it is God’s kindness that leads to repentance.
This is the guy who, ignoring the opinions of others, bee-lined toward those His culture had identified as sinful.
Before He ever suggested, “Go and sin no more,” Jesus first welcomed and received unrepentant sinners.
...we often put our energy into changing others’ behavior, rather than introducing them to this astounding grace. I know I am far more comfortable when people do what I believe they’re supposed to be doing. And although it’s a complicated formula, I suspect I’ve desired it with more passion and energy than I have desired that the same individuals truly encounter God’s great love for them as they are.
The love that is meant to mark us as Christians is meant to receive people in the generous and gracious way Jesus received people.
To receive an “other” as they are, without first mandating behavior changes, requires us to tolerate a bit of anxiety or discomfort. It demands that we release, or at least relax, our natural impulse to announce our opinions. To receive another as they are, and not as we wish them to be, is to agree with the apostle Paul’s conviction that it is God’s kindness that leads to repentance.
This is the guy who, ignoring the opinions of others, bee-lined toward those His culture had identified as sinful.
Before He ever suggested, “Go and sin no more,” Jesus first welcomed and received unrepentant sinners.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
This Momentary Marriage
Marriage is patterned after Christ’s covenant relationship to his redeemed people, the church. And therefore, the highest meaning and the most ultimate purpose of marriage is to put the covenant relationship of Christ and his church on display.
Staying married, therefore, is not mainly about staying in love. It is about keeping covenant. “Till death do us part” or “As long as we both shall live” is a sacred covenant promise—the same kind Jesus made with his bride when he died for her.
Staying married, therefore, is not mainly about staying in love. It is about keeping covenant. “Till death do us part” or “As long as we both shall live” is a sacred covenant promise—the same kind Jesus made with his bride when he died for her.
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