peace . love . joy

last saturday's bible study got me thinking..

not so much abt the lesson per se, but smthg else..

i'm happy when pple ask questions. it shows that God's people are thinking, and are growing; yearning for some solids rather than surviving on milk for so long. some make me think real hard and inspire me to go home and do some voluntary homework to find out more and come to my own conclusions.

but the problem is that there is almost an infinite number of questions that can be asked. are we going to ask them all?
i doubt it.

even if we do manage to ask them all, are you going to remember all them answers u get?
i doubt it.

the idea, then, is to ask the "correct" questions. or rather, the questions that matter.

what are the questions that matter?

hmmm..think about that, will you?
what matters most? what yardstick do you whip out to measure the importance of each question that pops into your mind?

personally, those that matter most to me are those pertaining directly to my salvation.
is the answer going to impact my views on my salvation?
is it concerning what we understand of God's character?
thgs like that.
if they do concern my salvation, then yes, it is imperative that i ask.

note, however, that this is not to say one cannot ask questions; any questions that puzzle.

ask if you will, but know what you're going to do with the information that is going to come your way in the form of others' answers. know the significance of the answer(s).
why are you asking in the first place?

questions that arent as important, do the answers matter so much?
perhaps.
but it is not necessary that all must come to the same conclusion else they are believing not in the "Truth"?

ask.

BUT

know what matters and what doesnt.

i would like to say thanks to my DADDY, MUMMY, GALEN, CAITLYN, ELWYN, AUNTY SHIRLEY, UNCLE SOOYI & AREN for taking me to sushi tei (!!) for dinner! i guess all of you know i'm a sushi die-hard fan! oh! and AREN! i know you cant read too well yet, but i want the world to know:
my turning-6-in-december counsin insisted on buying me a toy with his own money from his own piggy bank! how sweet can you get?!
he got me a polly pocket water fun set =] we had fun playing with it at night after getting back from sushi tei @ holland V. the four jets of water spewing out frm the purple rock sculpture are lit by different colored lightbulbs~! orange, red, green, blue! so fun~!
AREN has good taste *nods solemnly*

i would like to say a big big big thank you to SANGEE, MAHES, NIKI (my husband..? are we married yet??), DIANNE, RINA & CHOONMIN for singing the happy birthday song to me on tuesday after lect =] haha! u sizzlers seem to like singing that song to me in lecture theatres..hmmm..

and thank you ALL WHO MSGED ME to wish me happy birthday! too many to name =x most notably, ying! i missed you loads, lady =( sigh..

dear God,

i pray that you draw me close to You, never letting me go as You have done. i pray that You not give up on me. i also pray that i seek Your will for my life, and i pray You reveal it in Your time. i pray that You give me courage and boldness to follow Your will if my will is not what You will. Lord, thank You for friends who make me feel loved and not alienated, even when at times i do feel so. thank You for reminders time and time again that i am not alone. thank You most of all for Your good timing - making me meet people at the most..brilliant..moments of my life to encourage me, to bring me back..giving me the conviction and strength to go for events that i otherwise wouldnt have gone because of my feelings then..

thank You.

megan's taking a break from racking her brains writing an essay due tuesday next. so out of the goodness of her heart *yea right!* she thought she'd share where she gets her inspiration and input from, and also, *blush* to announce to the world her new found love :

(also to show off *shameless!* her studiousness)

Max Weber : An Intellectual Portrait

The Phenomenology of the Social World

What is Cinema?

love..relationships..

i know what ure thinking: ure thinking romantic relationships. and why not? society seems to place much emphasis on being attached to someone else. and since we're all a part of society, it's only "natural" for us to be caught up on that lil detail, yea?

many of us know how the ancient Greeks defined "love". essentially, the three bigger spheres are:
one. eros
two. philia
three. agape

and if we know that, we'd know what they each mean:
one. eros is romantic love
two. philia is brotherly love
three. agape is Godly love

but do u know the distinction between the three?
one. eros is used to refer to love in the form of a passionate, intense desire for something, and is often referred to as a sexual desire
two. philia does not contain the element of romantic love. it entails a fondness and appreciation of the other. for the Greeks, the term Philia incorporated not just friendship, but also loyalties to family and polis - one's political community, job, or discipline
three. agape is unconditional love. it is love for someone without expecting love in return. as lovers of God, we understand this to be God's unconditional love for us - to be loved when we were yet sinners

agape love is often cited to be the christian's aim. personally, i dont think we can ever achieve it simply because we cannot separate interest from feelings. when we "love" someone, we tend to want something in return - from simply acknowledgement of the knowledge of our feelings towards that person by that person, to wanting the feeling reciprocated by that person. but that's just my opinion. but i do agree this is a "noble" aim, and i do believe since it's part of God's character, and we shld be following God's examples and exhibiting a Godly character, yes, we should strive to attain this.

if evryone seems to identify agape as the "unconditional love", then philia and eros should be "conditional love". if agape is "unselfish love", then philia and eros are "selfish love". which means we want smthg in return, we have vested interest.

but the difference between eros and philia, as stated above, is that eros contains the element of romance, often linked with desires of the sexual kind, while philia does not.

when we "fall in love", what do we mean?
for that, i leave it to your discretion - whether or not you wish to "disenchant" yourselves, and "de-mystify" "love". whether or not you wish to go research on this topic.
i havent really the time to do so right now, so i, myself, am not "qualified" to speak of "love" in the sociological nor psychological manner.
do note that this is one of the thgs whereby one you've learned them, you cannot un-learn it; you will have to live with that knowledge.

(random question: what is the goal of "dating"?)

i'd like to note in particular what the Bible says about romantic relationships.

* there is no compulsory prerequisite to salvation that states one must share a romantic link with another.

Bible says that partners have to be christian. some of you may go "phew! mine goes to church!"
(ahem) going to church does not equate to being a christian. saying the "sinner's prayer" does not equate to being a christian. doing good deeds does not equate to being a christian. having been baptised does not equate to being a christian. a christian is one who is "born again", one who loves God with his\her whole heart and has given his\her life to pursuing and loving God. outward physical actions does not equate to what is in the heart, but what is in the heart is usually manifested in an outward action. in short: you cannot judge a person's motive(s) from that person's actions that you observe. so how do you know? time.

what's wrong with taking a non-christian partner? many quote
"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?"
~ 2 Corinthians 6:14
but hear this other one from the Old Testament
"Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly."
~ Deuteronomy 7:3-4
do you not see the storm that gathers over this path? do you not see the danger signs that guard this road? or has "love" blinded you so, that the real world appears like the matrix? do not compromise your faith. do not underestimate the power of sin, man and the devil. do not overestimate the size of your faith.

what if we've already "fallen" for someone, and that person is not a christian?
what if we're struggling inside because of that - torn between what God instructs and our own desires?
what if we dont want to hear God's bidding(s) anymore, not on this subject or anything else, for fear of knowing that what God wants is different than what we want?

"Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law?"

Jesus said unto him, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
~ Matthew 22:36-40

all i can say is this: how much do you love God?
are you willing to cut the line and be aimlessly afloat in the sea?
how much do you love God?

it's not easy. nothing in this world is ever easy. God never said it would be a piece of cake.

how much do you love God?

songs.

i was glad that Pastor William Sam spoke on music (in particular those with lyrics) last sunday, 30092007. though i'm not quite so sure i agree with him entirely on each and every point he made. in essence, i believe that when we listen to music, when we start head-banging along with it, when we begin to hum the tune and add in snitchets of lyrics we actually remembered of the song, it's time to pay attention to the lyrics and their message.

what are you singing?
ever asked yourself that question? what are you singing? what are you telling the world that you are listening to? what does it matter what you tell the world?

if your answer to the last question is no, then dont bother reading on.
if your answer to the last question is yes, why?
if you have no answer to the last question, then read on.

what does it matter what you tell the world? what does it matter what the world thinks of you?
the simplest answer would be that you care what the world thinks of you because you care about your image. you care about how others view you because you have a reputation to upkeep, or do you? so what you happily announce to the world you listen to would have everything to do with how you portray yourself - being the cool \ sentimental \ sophisticated \ emotional person you are, right?

how about we shift the focus, eh? hows about what God would think? hows about what others would then see you and others who call yourselves children of God?
instead of putting yourself in the centre of it all, do not extract yourself from that circle the sphere of light, but rather, take a step towards the edge of the circle and invite God into the centre. you claim you belong to the Pure One. you claim Him as your Lord and Savior. what does that all mean? does it mean that the moment you accept Him, you can live your life any way you please because you know that He has already forgiven all your sins and transgressions, and you're headed to heaven anyways? think about that. personally, i'd say no. there are references in the bible that speaks regarding possessing a "license to sin". also, i'd appeal to your "good nature" assuming of course that we all possess a "soft side". when you accept the Lord as your God, is it purely intellectual, or are there some elements of emotion involved? i'm a rather emotional being, yes, i'm not afraid nor embarrassed to admit that. i practically live and move on emotion. so to me, when i accepted Christ, i do it because i believe in my heart and in my mind that He is God. and i am overcome with gratitude and want to please my Lord. work out your faith, o people of God! work it out! what is your faith based on? what does it mean?

do you not realise that everything you hear in sermons, everything you learn in quality time with God, everything you gain from bible studies is built upon your faith? do you not see that if you dont work out your faith, it will all be in vain? what's the point in everything? you will only begin to see when you work it all out. you will only begin to see when you (to borrow a phrase from a friend of mine) "decide to do serious business with God".

people of the Highest, do you not realise that when you become christians, even before you became christians, the world is watching? the world is watching your actions, which are a manifestation of your thoughts! think before you act! it matters what others see in you and of you because it affects their decisions and reactions towards you and others who share your faith! did you know that many look on christians as hypocrites? do you not know what a hypocrite is? do you practise what you preach? do you practise what you listen to on saturdays or sundays in sermons? or why do you go to church on sundays?

dear ones, do you not realise too that younger christians are watching you. some of you are admired in your churches, some hold positions in a church. in any case, there are people who look up to you, whether you realise it or not, he\she may be a neighbour in your block, or mebe even a "student" in your bible study group. ever thought that their salvation may be affected by your actions? are you building each other up in Christ, or are you pulling one another down?

"let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance"
~ Proverbs 1:5

ever heard the phrase "garbage in, garbage out"?
listen to the lyrics. wait, dont just listen, listen, comprehend what the lyrics are about. are they something that you would mind being caught dead singing? or are they edifying (here i mean, do they embody a message that would bring benefit and good to those who hear)? what's wrong singing about having sex (e.g. "sexyback", "buttons"..)? what's wrong singing about say "God must hate me"? what's wrong? is it wrong in the first place?

be careful what you listen to. know and understand what you are listening to. do not, please, do not listen simply because everyone's listening to it, just because the tune is catchy, just because.

you say "nah, she's thinking too much. she's rationalising this too much." no, i tell you, when people are alone, when they are quiet, they think. they evaluate. or at least i do. perhaps you will say this is an assumption with no truth. do you know that God is watching? you are being watched. you are being observed. what message are you sending to others? would God be pleased with this child of his behaving in this manner? is He beaming down at you, or is He shaking His head in sadness?

evaluate yourselves.

you no longer are children, not knowing anything. you are growing, you are beginning to think. or are you?

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you."

~ 1 Thess 5:11, 21-22, 23-24, 28

love