Sabbath
Psalm 139: 23-24
"Search me, O GOd, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts,
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting."
~ Amen.
thoughts:
How do i balance both in moderation?
How am i supposed to use what you've given me?
Where does my strength come from? --> not within me, but from God
What do all these signs mean?
How do I rest my mind and find peace?
What do You want to teach me?
How can i be obedient?
*patience* : God knows what He's doing =)
"Come follow me..."
-----
People Need the Lord -- song i remember from when i was a kid... it still rings true =P
Everyday they pass me by,
I can see it in their eye;
Empty people filled with care,
Headed who knows where.
On they go through private pain,
Living fear to fear;
Laughter hides the silent cries
Only Jesus hears.
People need the Lord,
People need the Lord;
At the end of broken dreams,
He's the open door.
People need the Lord,
People need the Lord;
When will we realize
People need the Lord.
We are called to take His light
To a world where wrong is right;
What could be too great a cost
For sharing life with one who's lost?
Through His love our hearts can feel
All the grief they bear;
They must hear the Words of Life
Only we can share.
People need the Lord,
People need the Lord;
At the end of broken dreams,
He's the open door.
People need the Lord,
People need the Lord;
When will we realize
That we must give our lives,
For people need the Lord.
People need the Lord.
posted by ~*~VaNeSsA~*~ -- 12:35 p.m. (0) comments
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
David Crowder Band: Only You
Take my heart, I Lay it down
At the feet of you whose crowned
Take my life, I’m letting go
I lift it upto You who’s throned
And I will worship You, Lord
Only You, Lord
And I will bow down before You
Only You Lord
Take my fret, take my fear
All I have, I’m leaving here
Be all my hopes, be all my dreams
Be all my delights, be my everything
And It’s just you and me here now
Only you and me here now
You should see the view
When it’s only You
----
i first heard this song sung at Campus Challenge... i really like it =) brings things back into perspective... yeah... it's been a few crazy busy weeks, hence no time to blog... but thankfully, this week's a bit lighter right before the final push of finals... and i finally have some time to sit down and reflect over the past few weeks...
updates..hmm...
i'm still unsure of where I am being called to minister next term... if God really asks me to let go of ccf, it's gonna be tough.. it's been my spiritual home for the past three years here in waterloo.. not to say that i won't attend anymore, just significantly less actively i suppose... over the past few weeks, it's kind of been like a tug of war wrt seeking my calling for next term... on the one side, God has answered my specific prayers in amazing ways and has given me opportunities to witness more... but then on the other hand, He's also really blessed me these past few weeks with the edifying presence, conversations, and prayers with lotz of brothers and sisters from ccf... i can't do both... i just wanna be obedient... Lord show me the way =) hehe... i'm sure He will...
i've been reading Revelations recently... if anyone has any really good infomraiton about the various theories of eschatology, let me know =) but yeah.. reading it has definitely got me thinking... even tho i may not understand the finer details of exactly how everything will pan out or which theological viewpoint i take on it, i've been thinking everytime i read a chapter that things are going to be bad... they're really really going to suck... the brokenness, sorrow, and pain we expeirence here now is like nothing compared with what's to come... it's actually a pretty scary thought, especially considering that brokenness is so apparent now in ppl's lives.... it's been more of a warning to me that the days ahead are goin to be tough..so much death, pain, famine, disease, darkness, deceivery... it's about as close as a living hell on earth as you can get.... my recollecitons can't really describe it, if your'e curious, go read revelations in detail yourself... reading revelations has been a constant reminder of the Great Commission... when i read it, ppl's names pop up into my head... and i fear that they will be left behind to face all these tribulations... i don't want them to... this has prompted me to really begin to pray harder for ppl's salvations... i want to see them when i get "up there" someday... i think part of my problem is that, in all honesty, i'm so used to living my life here on earth that i barely internalize the fact that Christ could come back at anyday... at the moment espeically when we least expect Him to... i rarely ever think about this... that's kinda bad... would i be living my life differently if i knew that He was coming, say... 1 year from today... the 'correct' answer would be that i should be living as if He coudl come anyday... i don't think i'm there yet...
in other news, i find this term that i've been discovering more of myself this term... i think when ppl tell me things, my brain starts producing thoughts at a very rapid pace... sometimes, i can't even keep up with my own thoughts... haha wierd... especially since i started taking psych 213: excpetional children and psch 312: learning disabilities... those two courses basically covered off every child's problems growing up, reasons behind it, symptoms, intervention strategies... ugh... so now that i have all that knowledge stuck in my head... it automatically pops up when i'm talkign with people... uncontrollably almost... i never used to psycho-analyze all these situations as critically as i do now... i can't not think about it either... they jsut come automatically... and it defintiely gives me a sneak peak at what ppl could possibly be dealing with behind all their exterior layers... gives me more specifics in what to pray for them... but at the same time, while this can be useful, it can also be overwhelming at times... with certain ppl... after talking with them, my brain can get overloaded with empathetic thoughts... i need to learn to directly translate those thoughts into prayers for ppl...
going home tmr (wed) overnite... will be able to see extended relatives from hk =) and go to a PwC event DT as well... hope that goes well... also get to hang out w/ family again... their visit up to waterloo last saturday was, altho unexpected, very cool =P haha.. and many thanks for marianne, alex lam, herman, and jane mok for helping me clean up the house... it still looks amazing, even a few days later =) it's cool to see other ppl using their spiritual gifts... that was an awesome exercise of the gift of serving... thank you.
posted by ~*~VaNeSsA~*~ -- 9:29 p.m. (0) comments
Friday, July 07, 2006
Faith:
random snippits of things i find interesting... (all taken from InTouch Ministries devotionals)
1. Weak faith says, "God can." Great faith says, "God will." But perfect faith—godly faith—says, "It's done." Your faith is your testimony. What does your faith say about God?
- my faith... as is customary of spiritual battles, sometimes i fall to having very weak faith, but the general pattern in the long run is increasing faith... i find that slowly God's been increasing my faith in Him in different areas of my life... starting with those elements farther away from my heart and then going closer and closer to what I hold in higher priority and what defines me as a being... i know that one of the places where i still have weaker faith is God's Sovereignty over my internal family issues... it's growing stronger tho..but still in that overall weak category unfortunately... it's been a good learning experience... sometimes i think it's good to just think about those areas in life where we have weak faith...acknolwedging our weaknesses helps us actively fight them and at least we are conscious of when the devil's trying to tear us down... and then beat it down with an "i'm going to kick your @ss" attitude of strength and power that comes from faith in God alone.
2. The stronger our faith is, the easier it will be to maintain our position in our spiritual battles. Soldier of God, are you holding firm?
- what does standing firm mean to you? to me, i think standing firm implies actively sharpening your faith through sharpening the armour of God which we constantly utilize to fight the spiritual battles... i think i definitely need to brush up my sword: the word of God... it's living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12)... i know that... but am i making that a reality? i can't say that i'm always sharpening my sword... but this is definitely a good reminder to be doing so... one thing i haven't tried to do in awhile is memorize Scripture... i want to try doing so again... it always impresses me when ppl really take the time and effort to memorize Scripture..i think they truly know the power in His words...
3. Faith trials teach endurance. We develop the stamina to bear up under heavy loads with-out discouragement because we trust that God will see us through. He increases our capacity by applying slight pressure. When we prove we can handle a little, He adds more, constantly working on our witness till we shine like gold.
- this is definitely true... haha the story of my life... or at least the past 3-4 years of it =)