peace . love . joy

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

Young Methodist Leaders Conference 070907~090907 - Holiday Inn, Batam - Unlimited Power

before we left for the conference in Batam, we from Faith were told to again (same as last year) write down our objectives for the conference. and from experience, what we wrote were always answered. so this is serious, man. pray and seek God before you write down what you intend to write.

i wrote three things:
one. for proof once again that my God exists. been feeling dry and overcome with sadness. too much of an emotional roller coaster for my liking =(
two. to be taught how to bridge my studies (sociology) and my faith. sociology probes into practically every sphere of life, and my faith pervades every nook and cranny of my life. i need to find out how to do both. because i believe God led me to do sociology. and i believe it was not meant to make me lose faith.
three. for strength to carry what i'll learn in the conference across the sea back to singapore. for strength to never forget what i'll learn there.

in other words, the main aim for me was to be encouraged and (God willing) be encouraging to others as well.

want to know something?

God answered all my prayers.

Yu is a friend of mine. granted we are not close, but we are still friends. well, more like acquaintences. we happened to be in the same mentor group (we were divided into groups at the conference, for discussions, and to get to know others from other methodist churches in singapore).

now we were all given a little blue card on the first day, and on them, we each had a verse and a short message. you see, we were each prayed for by name before the conference and the person who prayed for us wrote a passage and a short message that he\she felt God wanted us to remember, or to speak to us with. Yu felt that her message was very confrontational. and wondered if it meant that she was not following God's plan and purpose thus far. so she prayed about it, but heard nothing from God. Yu started feeling upset and uncertain. all this she shared with me over dinner on the first night.

around 5.30 am the next morning, when i was spending quality time with God on the balcony of my room, God spoke to me. He told me that the message in Yu's card was not of the past, but of the future. that something might happen and He wanted her to know which course of action to take. to remind her. that i can understand. but then, God went on to say that He also wanted me to tell her that He loved her. now that was kinda mind-boggling. where's the connection? i dont see one. so i was kinda bewildered.

anyhow, during lunch when we were seated in our mentor groups, Yu sat beside me. as i ate, i was wondering if i should tell her now what God said. but as usual, i was hesitant. so i said to God, "God, if You really want me to tell her now, let her talk to me first." straight after that, (i didnt even get to say "amen"!) Yu turned to me and asked me a question (something about the food, i think). man~! so i asked her how she felt now. to which she replied that now she felt worthless, having not heard from God. she felt like God didnt love her and stuff. you can imagine how i felt~! in my mind, i was like "God, You are brilliant, You know that?!" so i told her. i told her that He said the message mightn't be referring to the past, but a future decision that she would have to make. and the God loved her. you should have seen her face! relief and happiness just made her..glow!

on the 2nd night, Rev. Edmund De Souza asked us to stack the chairs against the walls and stand. then He asked us to pray. boy, you should have been there. no words can accurately describe. God was there. He was SO there. as we stood to pray (being prayed for individually by mentors and pastors, and friends, and praying on our own, and praying for others), i felt myself swaying, i think i was tired. i dont know, but i prayed to God that He wont make me fall (you know, when the Spirit comes upon people, some may fall - "slain by the Spirit", some may cry uncontrollably, some laugh, some speak in tongues..). i just refused to fall. God reminded me that though i'm praying on my own, noone praying for me and noone behind me to catch me if i fall, if i fall, i will not be harmed. being the person that i am, i still refused to fall and let go. so He said, "well, there are some things i want to tell you, but i can tell you only if you are on the ground." dont aske me what that meant. i dont know. but i hypothesize it might be because then i'll be totally focussed on Him, no worrying about standing or balancing or swaying. so i said okay, i'll kneel. so i knelt on the ground, my face to the ground, resting on the top of my hands, palms to the ground and said "what do you want to tell me, Lord?"

i started crying.

really crying. i didnt feel sad, and i didnt feel moody, i didnt feel happy. i felt peace - like this was exactly where i was meant to be at that point in time. but i just cried.

God waited til i calmed down some what to sniffles and quiet tears. then He spoke. in essence, this is what He said:
"well done, you've taken part in My Will, you have spoken My Words to Yu, despite being the quiet and hesitant person you are. well done =]
how do you feel now that you've taken this step of faith and be knitted into My Will? good, huh? =]
so now you know how it feels to consciously do it, do it again! dont be afraid!
now look, all your objectives I have answered."
to which He proceeded to explain one after the other:
"is this not proof that I exist? you are speaking with Me, and I have worked through you here in this conference.
sociology is the study of human organisation and disorganisation. to understand how they organise themselves. use this knowledge to understand the workings of the church. use it for your ministry. use it for your future ministry - you know where I am sending you.
strength I give you. opportunities I will provide for you to remember and exercise what you have learnt.
also, you have been encouraged, and you have encouraged in return"
then He opened the memory of speaking with Yu and seeing her face.

gosh!

then i prayed. well, prayed through my crying, for other people that i know by name and face.

amanda, one of my 3 roomies prayed for me. it was very touching and very amazing what she prayed for. it was amazing that she even prayed for me! (i just got to know her but the day before!)

hannah and i went forward to pray for our mentor, Pastor Reuben =]
His testimony is very powerful. when you listen, you can hear God's knitting sticks clicking and clacking away =]
very encouraging and all you can do is just sit in awe at how God works and how God simply is..

it was awesome, this conference. really awesome.

to hear God's people sing praises to Him with all the voice they have, pushing their vocal chords to the max
to speak with God's people and feel the passion and understand the struggles they face, encouraging them and being encouraged in return
to feel the wind on your face when you meet with God in the early morning when the sun has yet to rise
to see hands being raised in surrender and in awe of God
to smell the good food during breakfast, lunch and dinner - mmm-mmm =]
to be reminded of our purpose and what really matters, a refreshing look

it was awesome. really awesome.

note: i've begun spending quality time with God again every morning around 7.20 til 8 am just before school starts on monday and tuesday, and around 7 til 7.35 am on wednesday (cos school starts at 9 am). yesterday, no school! so i spent time with God at around 7.15 til 8 am =D

in parting, i'd like to share with you this song a church-mate wrote for the conference this year. may it be a blessing to you as it was a blessing to me.

UNLIMITED POWER
Written by Jonas Chow, 31 January 2007

Where can I go from Your presence Father
For You are everywhere
Where can I hide but in the shadow of Your wings
Near to Your heart there I’ll dwell
What can I do, Lord, apart from You
It’s not by my might but by Your Spirit
Your Holy Spirit

You are the source of unlimited power
You are the One who makes all things new
You are the vine we are the branches
And Lord, we abide in You
Lord, we abide in You

Holy Spirit fall on us anew (Our beloved Saviour)
We abide in You (Blessed Redeemer)
Holy Spirit fall on us anew (Source of every power)
We abide in You



Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patince, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you were indeed called in one body. And be thankful.

~ Colossians 3:12-15

top : SQ, Shaun, ShuoXian, Joseph, Pastor Reuben

bottom : YunLing, Hannah, Gracia, ShiYing, me

missing =p : WeeTeck, Josh

today was great!

today's the day joyce and i were to present in class on the German Expressionist Cinema.

as some of you might have known, i was a lil apprehensive and quite stressed abt it since this presentation, together with an accompanying thesis paper, was to make up 40% of our final grades for this class (western film history). it didnt help that the work was all pushed to the last minute because joyce was kinda busy..

BUT

after we presented, Jan said "very good!"
but i thought that he, like any other teacher, would have said that just to cheer the presenters up after crossing that seemingly difficult and stressful(?) hurdle.

these two engineering guys presented after us on the cinema after the Expressionist movement - basically the New German Cinema (more impressionist than expressionist). i thought it was good, except for using too many words on the slides. seriously, i had problems reading and listening at the same time. also, they didnt have much, or in my opinion, enough, of my fav - pix. Jan pointed that out too, but he didnt pass the comment he gave us
(view the above)

so, it is likely i was wrong in my assumption, and it is likely that he meant it =]

feels like a weight has been lifted from my chest!
well, not lifted totally as i've, or rather, we've still the thesis paper to do. but it still feels good that the work has paid off =D

this is one of the very few times that i can actually hold my head up high and proclaim with a confident and loud voice that i've put in a lot of effort into this (approx 89%) and the hard work has paid off =]

weeeeee~*

thank you, God, for pulling me through. i pray you forgive me for the thoughts and the words that i've thought of and said that were unkind. thank you for giving me another reason to trust you, and to have confidence in you. thank you for being the just and faithful one as you are.

amen

Dancing With God

When I meditated on the word "Guidance", I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.

I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing:
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.

When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.

The dance takes surrender, willingness and attentiveness from one person
and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word "Guidance".

When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i".

"God, "u" and "i" dance.
God, you, and I dance.

As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life.

Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies are upon you on this day and everyday.

May you abide in God, as God abides in you.

Dance together with God, trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life.
Interceding in prayer is one of the best gifts we can receive.

There is no cost but a lot of rewards; so let's continue to pray for one another.

And I Hope You Dance!