Saturday 21 September 2013

Lord, We're Waiting For Your Return! (College Retreat September 2013)

"Come, Lord Jesus
As we become the same as Christ
In life, nature, expression, and function,
We are qualified to work with Him
For His Body.

As We trust in the Lord helplessly,
Depend on Him as our love and strength,
And listen to His speaking,
Our hope is to be raptured
Through the redemption of our body.

And out prayer is 
Come, Lord Jesus!
And our prayer is
Come, Lord Jesus!
Come, Lord Jesus!
Lord Jesus, come! "

The sweet hymn above is one of the songs we sang in the college retreat today, and once I close my eyes, I could feel that I'm singing this hymn to the Lord face to face.
http://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn.php/ns/285
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvO0F0m2B5s

The message we discuss this weekend is about the Lord's return and this is what I enjoy so far. I appreciate that we, as college students, are encouraged to get the highest education as possible. We are advised to get at least a college degree, get the highest grades, and reach to advanced levels (The Lord's Return (Part Two) Western Canada Retreat 2013 booklet, page 28). I don't think I can get the highest grades, but I'll definitely try my best to reach till a master degree in fine arts. And when this happens, we will be useful for the Lord. We will be needed for the Lord's recovery. I also enjoy that we need to learn another language other than English/ our mother tongue. We need to be at least bilingual so that we can preach the gospel to other people and be useful to the Lord as well. I remember how much I hated Mandarin and Malay back then. But after realizing that I have learnt 6 years of Mandarin back in elementary school and 11 years of Malay in elementary school AND secondary school, I must not regret too much that I've learn these two other languages. And so...I guess I can try to speak a little more of these two tongues. I'm thinking of learning Japanese too, so I'm finding the opportunity to do so. =)

So dear young people and all Christians, you must endeavor to gain the best education! You also need to learn a new language! The more, the better! Oh! And I guess why I enjoy the retreat so much is because of the brothers' speaking, including brother Willie's (Willie Wise-in case you're familiar with this brother, he used to be an NBA basketball player back in the old days, I don't know when but he sure was famous at that time, yup we have a former celebrity here in the church family). I remembered that he shared with us a brief testimony. He said that he was in Taipei back in the 1980s and he joined a group for door-knocking to preach the gospel. A couple stood at the door and they were surprised when he said a Mandarin phrase (I couldn't remember what he said). We all laughed when he showed a surprised expression and shouted, "Hei Ren Jiang Hua Wen!" (That black man speaks Chinese! This was the reaction from the couple, not him). I learned that even one phrase of a different language will get a person to listen. There will be a connection between two people who can speak one word of a second language. Brother Robert, another speaking one, also shared a testimony with us and it was about him who was disappointed of not knowing how to speak Filipino language even though he was raised in the Philippines for many years of his childhood. He was a Filipino Chinese, and he learnt English and Mandarin throughout his school days. He dreamed of going to America to study, and this caused him to hated Mandarin (sound familiar? This is a coincidence =P). He made it to America to study in university, he lived with four Chinese brothers who couldn't speak English, so he had no choice but to speak Chinese with them. I guess, what he's trying to say is, even though we might hate speaking our mother tongues (sometimes), we have to know how to speak it. We are encouraged to be bilingual (at least). Psychologically, those who are bilingual are meant to have better character. I actually agree on this, because I've learnt about bilingualism back in the Psychology course I take this semester. Speaking of character, "we need to build a good character" by "exercising ourselves to build a character that is useful to the Lord" (The Lord's Return (Part Two) Western Canada Retreat 2013 booklet, page 28). We need to have a good character so that we can be vessels to contain God. But most importantly, we have to allow God's attributes to work in us (Philippians 4:13~I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me).

I also enjoy that "we must pursue and grow in our spiritual life", and we can do this by "maintaining a living fellowship with the Lord, fully consecrating ourselves to Him and having proper dealings with Him, to be the Lord's overcomers" (The Lord's Return (Part Two) Western Canada Retreat 2013 booklet, page 28). To be succinct, all we have to do is to just simply love the Lord! Just. Love. Him. It's that easy! Do you love him, Christians? We must "grasp the opportunity to love him" (The Lord's Return (Part Two) Western Canada Retreat 2013 booklet, page 28). Mary is an epitome to this matter. She "sat at Lord's feet and was listening to His word, having heard and received the Lord's word and revelation concerning his death"; she even "looked for the opportunity to anoint Him before he died" (The Lord's Return (Part Two) Western Canada Retreat 2013 booklet, page 28). She listened to the Lord because she loved him. So we should listen to the Lord's speaking if we love him.

We are reminded that the Lord's return is near. We need to be watchful and eagerly awaiting for the Lord to come back for the second time. It is said in the Scriptures that he will "steal" "His treasures" (those who love Him), as a "Bridegroom" for us to enter into His wedding feast, and as a "judge" to the nations (The Lord's Return (Part Two) Western Canada Retreat 2013 booklet, page 10-11). He will also come back to "solve all social problems in the world", including "injustice", "sicknesses", politics, and negative activities (going to clubs, drinking, smoking, premarital sex...) (The Lord's Return (Part Two) Western Canada Retreat 2013 booklet, page 5).

Christians, we're living in a corrupted world and Satan is behind all this. Don't you want all this to be put to an end? There are nice things that we can't take our eyes off, and plans that we're waiting to begin in the future, but there's not much time. Christ is coming, and he's approaching soon! I have a lot more to say, but I'll stop here.  If you would like to know more about what we talked about in the retreat, let me know in the comments below. =)

LORD JESUS, PLEASE COME! COME QUICKLY!





Monday 16 September 2013

O Love, That Wilt Not Let Me Go (another favourite hymn of mine)

" 1. O love, that wilt not let me go,
       I rest my weary soul in Thee;
       I give Thee back the life I owe,
       That in Thine ocean depths its flow
       May richer, fuller be.

   2. O Light, that followest all the way,
       I yield my flickering touch to Thee;
       My heart restores its borrowed ray,
       That in Thy sunshine's blaze its day
       May brighter, fairer be.

   3. O Joy, that seekest me through pain,
       I cannot close my heart to Thee;
       I trace the rainbow through the rain,
       And feel the promise is not vain
       That morn shall tearless be.

   4.  O Cross, that liftest up my head,
        I dare not ask to fly from Thee;
        I lay in dust life's glory dead
        And from the ground there blossoms red
        Life that shall endless be. "
This hymn is taken from Greater Vancouver Young People Songbook, page (I'll add the page number as soon as I can)

" Nice song. By George Matheson
History of Hymn
“O Love That Will Not Let Me Go” written on the evening of Matheson’s sister’s marriage. His whole family had went to the wedding and had left him alone. And he writes of something which had happened to him that caused immense mental anguish. There is a story of how years before, he had been engaged until his fiancé learned that he was going blind, and there was nothing the doctors could do, and she told him that she could not go through life with a blind man. He went blind while studying for the ministry, and his sister had been the one who had taken care of him all these years, but now she is gone. He had been a brilliant student, some say that if he hadn’t went blind he could have been the leader of the church of Scotland in his day. He had written a learned work on German theology and then wrote “The Growth of The Spirit of Christianity.” Louis Benson says this was a brilliant book but with some major mistakes in it. When some critics pointed out the mistakes and charged him with being an inaccurate student he was heartbroken. One of his friends wrote, “When he saw that for the purposes of scholarship his blindness was a fatal hindrance, he withdrew from the field – not without pangs, but finally.” So he turned to the pastoral ministry, and the Lord has richly blessed him, finally bringing him to a church where he regularly preached to over 1500 people each week. But he was only able to do this because of the care of his sister and now she was married and gone. Who will care for him, a blind man? Not only that, but his sister’s marriage brought fresh reminder of his own heartbreak, over his fiancé’s refusal to “go through life with a blind man.” It is the midst of this circumstance and intense sadness that the Lord gives him this hymn – written he says in 5 minutes! Looking back over his life, he once wrote that his was “an obstructed life, a circumscribed life… but a life of quenchless hopefulness, a life which has beaten persistently against the cage of circumstance, and which even at the time of abandoned work has said not “Good night” but “Good morning.” How could he maintain quenchless hopefulness in the midst of such circumstances and trials? His hymn gives us a clue. “I trace the rainbow in the rain, and feel the promise is not vain” The rainbow image is not for him “If the Lord gives you lemons make lemonade” but a picture of the Lord’s commitment! It is a picture of the battle bow that appears when the skies are darkening and threaten to open up and flood the world again in judgment. But then we see that the battle bow is turned not towards us – but toward the Lord Himself!  "


Source: http://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn.php/nt/432#ixzz2f5jAHCIP


This is also a favourite hymn of mine. The tune is just so soothing that sends my heart to a calm, joyful mood. The lyrics are poetic as well with such beautiful, encouraging words that expresses the love of God. God is our lifelong friend, and he is always there even when you're alone.

Check out the soundtrack right here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxbPPa-AafM

And the instrumental version:
http://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn.php/nt/432

Sunday 15 September 2013

My favourite hymn "God hath not promised skies always blue"

" 1. God hath not promised always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

Chorus: But God hath promised strength for the day,
             Rest for the labor, light for the way,
            Grace for the trials, help from above
            Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

   2. God hath not promised we shall not know
       Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
       He hath not told us we shall not bear
      Many a burden, many a care.

  3. God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
      Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
     Never a mountain, rocky and steep,
     Never a river, turbid and deep. "

This hymn is taken from Greater Vancouver Young People's Songbook (hymn no. 128)

I wonder how many of you who read this blog are Christians, especially those who are in the church life (for the Lord's recovery). I would like to share this hymn with you all, because this is my favourite hymn. I first get to know this hymn when I was browsing through Youtube back in my Taylor College days (Subang Jaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) in the year 2011. I watched this video posted from a brother who played this hymn with his guitar (quite well actually, but I forgot his name). I couldn't remember his background well, but I think he was a former soldier or something (or navy?). Through his playing and his voice, I could tell that this brother loved the Lord. This tune caught in my head from that day onwards, and it faded for a while. Then, this hymn came back to me again when I arrived in Vancouver six months later. I joined the large Young People meetings there, and I couldn't help enjoying this hymn. The tune (new tune) was so melodious and the lyrics were so poetic. I sometimes forced myself to open  my mouth to call out this hymn to be sung in home  meetings, and I always shook with excitement and satisfaction when we got to sing it.

If you're Christians but not in the church life like I do, then I recommend you to listen to this hymn. In fact, everyone should listen to this! This hymn helps me to go through dark times. I'm writing notes for Psychology, but due to a cold I'm catching, I can't concentrate entirely. My favourite hymn suddenly came to my head, and I have the urge to share this with you guys. =)
Here's a Youtube video that covers this hymn:
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8P75mvWH_k

And here's the instrumental tune together with the lyrics like the ones above:
http://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn.php/nt/720

In case you're curious about the writer of this hymn:
http://onthejourney7.blogspot.ca/2012/07/what-god-hath-promised-annie-johnson.html
I wonder who's the blogger? =)

Saturday 7 September 2013

Bible Reading As A Part Of Our Life



I didn't realize that I had read the entire book of John during the three weeks of summer break. As a reward, I received this gift from the serving ones (thanks Sister Jenny and Brother Tony =) ). I guess the reason why we had this bible reading challenge is because we are encouraged to "consume" the word of God every day. And yeah, I post one verse or more than that on Facebook as my status every time after I read a passage in the Bible.  And now the bible reading challenge is extended to six weeks, I'm emboldened a little more to read the Bible every day after school (as well as on weekends). Even though we have school, we are encouraged to read either one verse, the entire assigned passage, or (even better) read with our two/three selected companions and serving ones. Reading the Bible is not only to allow me to let God into my spirit and spread throughout my soul and body, but it also reminds me to do it as a habit.

So here's what I would like to advise to other Christians. Read the Bible! Some of you might think that it's a waste of time or the Bible is too ancient or difficult to understand. You don't have to understand solidly! You just have to take in God's word like food and enjoy God's grace. And if you read at least a few verses or a chapter every day, you'll be surprise to see that you will have a smile on your face and your life will change forever.

Well, we'll see how it goes. Btw, I'm saving the jellybeans for tomorrow. =P

Monday 2 September 2013

Last Day of Summer, Under The Evening Ribbons

                                        Under The Evening Ribbons 
                              The mighty blazing sphere gazed down
                              with a smile that glistened with golden teeth.
                              Their amber glow spread out
                              that radiated rays of summer luminescence.

                               A ribbon of its light overlapped the top of a hill.
                               I arrived at the park,
                               eyeing at the clear view.
                               Vanilla cotton scattered in the azure heaven,
                               greeting me with a whispering "hello".
                               I slowly breathed in the ripe swirls of oxygen,
                               drinking in the lush green pine trees
                               that surrounded the sides of the park.

                               Thanking God for his grace to the weather,
                               I lay my tote bag flat on the grass
                               under one of the tall shady plants
                               and sat on it like a picnic mat.
                               Ah! Nothing got better
                               than taking a breather
                               on such a beautiful evening.
                               From a corner of my eye,
                               a tiny brown spider swayed steadily in midair.
                               A nerve signal in my brain urged me to move away
                               but I glanced away from my book
                               and stared at the insect without a reminder of my entomophobia.
                             
                               The little spider clung on an invisible thread.
                               It set up a defensive bubble around itself,
                               overcoming a gust of wind
                               that was blown from the Nature Goddess.
                               It swung slightly to the east
                               and then slightly to the west
                               It climbed a few steps higher in the air,
                              maintaining its balance like an acrobat on a tightrope.
                              This young-looking fellow
                               delivered a message to me:
                               never give up on life
                               even when the wind blew that carried your body away.

                               15 minutes had passed
                               swift as an hourglass in a game of Boogle.
                               All I wore on my face
                               was a smile of satisfaction and glee.
                               There went my last day of summer
                               and I yearn to do it again
                               as I packed up and strolled down the hill.

Voila! Finally I've written a new poem! Thanks to the short walk to the park which is up the hill. You should try to take a breather after a long day of staying at home, sticking to your laptop. It really helps! You can breathe in the fresh air and sink in nature. You can even get a simple inspiration like this to write something! I've finished reading until chapter 6 of my new favourite book "Chicken Soup For The Soul: Inspiration For Writers" and I have learnt a lot from it. I guess all the stories in it caused me to write this poem as well, and not just looking at the green. =)