peace . love . joy

David sought to honour God, and God rewarded him with promises for his future. David's response was humble, worshipful prayer.

David not only knew about God, he fellowshipped with God. David shows us the value of knowing God better.

What is prayer? What do we mean when we say that we pray? Some teaching on prayer makes it seem too vague, mystical, spiritual, or even too difficult for us simple, busy women (and of course men!). However, prayer is practical.

Others imagine that praying is kneeling with closed eyes and speaking in eloquent phrases. This is perhaps one kind of prayer, but I believe prayer is communication with the One who loves us most, the One who cares for us and cherishes us more than anyone else, the One who always has our best interest in His heart and mind. Prayer is an attitude of worship and thanksgiving. And this can be done in any position - standing, sitting, kneeling, or lying down. It can be done any time of day or night - as the old hymn says, "Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light." We can pray while driving, working, cleaning, playing, waking up to face our day, or when we can't sleep at night. The apostle Paul tells us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thes 5:17). For me, more often than not, this means that I pray without ceasing my work. I just talk to the Lord as I carry on my responsibilities.

Prayer is a vital part of every person's spiritual experience. We are all aware of how important verbal communication is to any relationship, such as with our spouses, friends, or coworkers. A quick way to destroy a relationship is to avoid talking. Likewise, prayer is simply verbal communication with God. This simple principle was beautifully exemplified by a dear, older friend who passed away recently. He always started his prayers with, "And Lord..." In other words, he was just continuing where he had left off with his last conversation with God.

Prayer is also the way we get to know God. We pray in order to receive a better understanding of God. Prayer is one of the important elements of nourishing our personal relationships with God. I have discovered that the more time I spend in prayer, the better I begin to know God Himself and the more I see things from His perspective. This in turn brings the neede transformation in my disposition and attitude, which gives me more strength and serenity.

Prayer doesn't so often change the outward circumstances or our situations as much as it transforms the way we view those circumstances and situations. Often it is our spirits and attitudes that need changing.

(From A Quiet Knowing by Gigi Graham Tchvidjian)

Do you feel like you communicate with God when you pray?

Or do your prayers merely fulfill an obligation?

~ The Devotional Bible by Max Lucado

how much do you love God?

i personally believe that once you answer that question, all other pieces of the puzzle fall into place. realise, though, answering this question once in your lifetime will not prove accurate because you change. wake up each morning and ask yourself, "How much do i love God?"

am i willing to forgo temptations and enticements of the world to pick up my cross and follow Jesus?

am i humble enough to kneel in His presence and say i am sorry?

you cannot lie in your answer because your actions will betray your true reply.

think about that.

every semester ends in the same big bang way: one moment ure still slaving over your notes, next moment ure jumping 3 feet into the air and heaving sigh after sigh of relief it's all over.

well, my exams making their slow steady way along the sushi conveyor belt towards my booth, where i will have to take them off the belt, remove their plastic covering and tuck in.

141107 - genes 'r 'us
151107 - western film history
221107 - classical social theory
231107 - organisations and organisational change
281107 - sociology of the lifecourse

yea, i've a good five course meal set up and cmg my way.

i'm going to miss this semester: good teachers teaching good stuff.
not to mention my 3 day week..

before starting to really get down and dirty with my notes, though, my family and i, save galen, went to catch the Wiener Sängerknaben at the esplanade =]

it was awesome! it was like watching a choir of golden haired angels singing in heaven..
my fav were O Fortuna, Buchstaben-Polka and Ständchen. but i didnt like Lollipop and Fever; i thought they were stupid.

anyhow, i promise to bring you along next time, GIN NI, okay? then we'll bring binoculars and check out the cute guys on stage esp the conductor =D

so i'm just going to finish up Caroline's work before getting started on revision proper, but before i log off, some smiles..and a prayer=]

this is dedicated to those who feel like you're atlas holding the world on your shoulders; who knew there is so much fun in ripping a magazine? HAHA!!



Lord, this semester has been a roller-coasterish one in my relationship with you. but you have blessed me beyond all my wildest imaginations! you have sent the right people at the right times to encourage me and stand me back up on my feet. you have opened my eyes to the miracles you have performed everyday. you have opened my ears to hear your words, and my heart to take them in. and for that i thank you!

God, i'd like to pray especially for the coming exams. i pray that you bless us with a peace of mind, that we can sift through what we've learnt and pick out the best answer to each question placed before us. i pray you grant us perseverance and strength to pull through this. i know some of us will be facing tough papers and feel like giving up, and so drag our feet through because we have to complete it. but Lord, i ask that you open our eyes to see our choices - that we can choose to drag ourselves through, or put our backs into it, for the glory of your name, even when it seems as though all is lost.

Lord, forgive us for everything we've done and not done that displeases you. i pray you convict us and again show us the choices we have at each juncture we face temptations.

Lord, renew in us your spirit. let us live to bring you glory! let our passion for you long outlive our days on earth! may you be proud to be our God!

amen!

{ side point : take a look at the latest post on "half-Gospel" at http://www.sheworships.blogspot.com/
what d'u think? =] }

i'm thinking a lot about "working out my faith". yes, i'm still caught up in that. i think it's crucial that a Christian does so and i speak from experience. i posted an entry about this issue some time back, if you recall, so this is an add-on.

in the previous post about working out one's faith, i asked that you find out what your faith rests on, and i said that mine was built on Love and Forgiveness.
let's go a little further.

have you ever thought if what you believed in was real (ie. true, not false, authentic, not made up)?

what if there is no God? what if all you're believing is a lie? what if man made religion and not the other way round?

hmmmm..

ever had questions like those pop up in your mind?
i think these issues will come up sooner or later (if you're reading this now, perhaps the moment is now, haha!), questioning the truth and authenticity of your faith. by this i do not mean whether or not your religious text, be it the Qu'Ran or the Bible or the sutras, is a collection of fairy tales, myths and legends. what i mean is this:
1. does God exist?
2. is the God we Christians profess to follow hard after the one true living God?
of course such questions will no doubt include the authenticity of the religious text, but those follow after these two basic questions. they are supplements to the answer(s) to those two fundamental questions.

i guess u might say that i'm studying too much into Weber's concepts of "rationality"; my wanting to "rationalise" or to "de-mystify" religion and faith.
but contrary to what he believes, i'd like to hypothesize that "rationalising" a concept will not always lead to disenchantment, arbitrariness and meaninglessness.
particularly in this instance, where i'd like to ask you to venture into "rationalising" your faith, or rather, to set about finding the meaning and the basis of your faith. i believe that if you do so, prayerfully, your faith will be strengthened, you conviction more certain and your love for God increase ten-fold.

i'm not going to post any "answers" in support or in opposition to the question of whether or not God exists and if our God, Yahweh, El Shaddai, Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the one true living God.

i'm going to encourage you to find out by yourself.

the internet is full of information, bookstores are full of books on this, i think it's called apologetics (?)
go find out and satisfy your curiosity and questions.
(!! note both articles on the internet and in books are written by men and women, not God. articles, especially those found on the internet, that is not to say they dont appear in books, can be good and sound, or, misleading and unsound. they may be inspired or not from God. read with a critical mind. sift and test each idea !!)

i've come across a multitude of information, and been to talks on this issue (the existence of God, and the authenticity of the Christian God). to tell the truth, i'm still looking for "evidence" that is so utterly convincing that if i tell you, you will be convicted.
but then perhaps if such evidence existed, there wld be no need of faith..hmmm..

i guess by now, you would have realised i'm not talking about the "faith" part anymore.
the previous post, where i spoke of Love and Forgiveness, is the part largely on "faith".

i'm now talking about "reason". "reason" in the way the world views "reason".
what if a non-Christian asks you, a declared Christian, "how do you know your God is real?"
can you supply sufficient, convincing evidence that leaves no doubt about the realness of your God?

be convinced, children of God, of your faith.
be convinced now because you no longer are infants suckling at your mother's breasts, but are toddlers, children, teenagers, young adults, adults who require solid food.
be convinced. follow hard after God all your mind and heart and soul!

look now, i do not mean that "reason" is far more important than "faith".

"Faith and Reason are like the shoes on your feet; you can go much further with both than with one."
~ Babylon Five

"And without Faith, it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him"
~ Hebrews 11:6

"Reason" is there to support your "Faith".
God did not ask for a blind faith.
in the New Testament, the word "faith" was translated from the Greek "pistis". but here, i would refer you to a much more comprehensive "study". look at the range of meaning that the english language pales in comparison to the greek in revealing the essence of the word. look at each of the meanings. can you say of your faith that it encompasses all?

remember in the end that it is still faith that will decide the future of your relationship with God.
faith and not reason.

remember to pray.

What if His people prayed
(Casting Crowns)

What if the armies of the Lord
Picked up and dusted off their swords
Vowed to set the captives free
And not let Satan have one more

What if the church for heaven's sake
Finally stepped up to the plate
Took and stand upon God's promise
And stormed hell's rusty gates

What if His people prayed
And those who bear His name
Would humbly seek His face
And turn from their own way

And what would happen if we prayed
For those raised up to lead the way
Then maybe kids in school could pray
And unborn children see light of day

What if the life that we pursue
Came from a hunger for the truth
What if the family turned to Jesus
Stopped asking Oprah what to do

What if His people prayed
And those who bear His name
Would humbly seek His face
And turn from their own way

He said that they would hear
His promise has been made
He’s answered loud and clear, Yeah
If only we would pray

If My people called by My name
If they'll humble themselves and pray
If My people called by My name
If they'll humble themselves and pray

What if His people prayed
And those who bear His name
Would humbly seek His face, Yeah
And turn from their own way

He said that they would hear
His promise has been made
He’s answered loud and clear, Yeah
If only we would pray

What if His people prayed

love.