The Season of Lent

It was only recently, around a few years ago, that I have joined the Catholic community. It became pretty clear to me as I grew older and began to truly venture into my relationship with God that the traditions practiced in the Catholic churches are somewhat different from what I had been used to practicing in my previous charismatic church.

As my walk with God continued on, I decided I wanted to practice these traditions with my whole heart and not just because I was taught to do so. I began to ask those around me questions on such traditions as 'Ash Wednesday', 'Lent', 'Holy Thursday' and so on. Initially, I did vaguely know the reasons for these traditions but I did not truly understand them.

This year I decided to carry out my resolution of attending the masses/services that are usually held for these Catholic traditions. As we all know Ash Wednesday had just passed. And if some of you are still unsure on what that really is, a further explanation of this Christian tradition is to come later on in this post. A few friends and I attended Ash Wednesday mass a few days ago. The church was packed with people so we sat outside on the pavement, still managing to catch most of the Archbishop's sermon. As we sat there, I turned over to a friend on my left and I asked him this, "What is Ash Wednesday?" He paused for a moment and then laughed. And he had every right to find my question odd. I suppose it is rather peculiar for a Christian to attend Ash Wednesday mass and not know what it really is. But I suppose most of us do not really understand the real meaning of these Christian traditions. Most of us just attend mass with our families, go up to receive whatever it is we have to receive and then we leave; some what like an obligation to God and our family. And proving my theory correct, a friend of mine did admit that she doesn't really know why we go to mass on Ash Wednesday other than to receive the ash on our foreheads. Ash Wednesday is celebrated to remind us that we are made of dirt. With God's hands alone, we were sculpted from dirt into such complex human life-forms, every one special in their own way. With such a deep love for us God made us all special and in every one of us, He left a little bit of himself behind. I've often had this thought cross my mind, and to be perfectly honest, I sometimes still do. I do feel less significant at times. I envied those who were sculpted so perfectly from head to toe. I envied those who got so much attention for their beauty. I was insecure. And I suppose I still am at times. But I remind myself of this every time I feel less than who I really am: God sculpted us with His own two hands. With a heart full of love, He put the extra effort into making us all look different in our own way. I mean, think about it. He could've made us all look to same. That would've made His job a lot easier. Heck, He could've even gotten someone else to do it for Him, one of His angels perhaps but, no. He didn't. He chose to give His all for you. He chose to leave a part of Himself and His love in you. Because He loves you. So much. Sure, not all of us were made perfect physically. Maybe we have all been a little too shallow? Maybe we have all been too busy judging from the outside, that we didn't give ourselves a chance to see true beauty radiate from the inside of us. God made us all beautiful. Believe it. The real issue here is whether or not we choose to stay beautiful, or to scar ourselves with sin. Beauty in the dictionary is defined as a physical significance. Beauty to God is defined as a significant heart. God is the definition of beauty itself. So, grow in Him. Live by Him. Be an image of Him, that His love may shine through you.. and touch the lives of others. Sow that beautiful heart that He has given you for every heart bears it's distinct significance. We are all beautiful in God’s eyes whether you be short, tall, round, thin or square for that matter. Every single one of us is special. And I mean physically. Believe it. ‘Cos God made you beautiful and there is only one person, one thing that keeps you from believing that. Guess who’s the one that whispers in your ear words that tell you you’re not beautiful, that you’re nothing special. You’ve got it, it’s the evil one himself. So don’t give in to thoughts that bring you down. Do not be anything less than the person that you know you are for no one can make you feel inferior if you do not grant them the permission to.

Besides that, Ash Wednesday also signifies the beginning of lent. When the subject of lent came about, I found myself stumped and went on a rampage, text messaging anyone I could find in my phonebook, to ask them all one simple question: "What is lent?" I came to find that no one could really answer me in a way that I could really understand and that all the others that I had asked could not answer me at all except for a friend of mine who had carefully explained everything to me. (this is exactly what I was talking about when I said that we do not truly understand what we practice as Catholics)

According to him, lent is a 40-day period when we observe penance and abstinence to remind ourselves of Jesus' suffering before His death on the cross. Lent is basically a preparation for Easter, when Jesus is raised from the dead to save us. During this season of lent which lasts for over a period of 4 weeks, we fast and abstain from the things that we desire most. i.e. meat, chocolate, junk food, internet ;p and so on.
I continued on to ask him about the reason for our fasting during lent. In general, we are sinners and to be forgiven of our sins, we need to reconcile with God. And to reconcile with God we must first be pure both in soul and physically, thus by fasting we achieve our aim towards self-purification. (Not to be a credit hog but these are all in his own words)

It seems that during lent, you hear of people abstaining from things such as meat as it is often used as a guideline, in church, as to what we should abstain from. Most people take it as an obligation or simply as a church practice which most times makes it easier to give into the temptation of making unnecessary exceptions during occasions whereby you do not feel the want to fast.

The way I see it, by fasting we test our limits; how far we are willing to go for the Lord. Ask yourself this, how far would you push your limits for God? Would you do just about anything for Him as He would for you?

By fasting we also test our strength, to keep strong and not give into temptation, rather choose the path of God. The willingness to give up your utmost desires for the sake of our Lord; THAT is true love. It's interesting how God reveals so much to us through the most ambiguous things. He teaches us many things but in a way He allows us to learn them for ourselves.

So don’t fast because you are told to do so. Don’t walk down that aisle and get that ash wiped across your forehead just because it’s what you’re supposed to do on Ash Wednesday. Do not do what you do for God out of an obligation or because that’s what everyone else is doing or just because that’s what you are told to do. No. Do it for Him and no one else! Go all out, fellow children of the Lord and don’t turn back. All the best, my faithful readers. May we continue to grow with God and in God, together.

God bless you all.

Whose Hands?

WHOSE HANDS?

A basketball in my hands is worth about $19

A basketball in Michael Jordan's hands is worth about$33 million

It depends whose hands it's in

A baseball in my hands is worth about $6

A baseball in Mark McGuire's hands is worth $19million

It depends whose hands it's in

A tennis racket is useless in my hands

A tennis racket in Pete Sampras' hands is a WimbledonChampionship

It depends whose hands it's in

A rod in my hands will keep away a wild animal

A rod in Moses' hands will part the mighty sea

It depends whose hands it's in

A sling shot in my hands is a kid's toy

A sling shot in David's hand is a mighty weapon

It depends whose hands it's in

Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in my hands is a couple

of fish sandwiches

Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in God's hands will

feed thousands

It depends whose hands it's in

Nails in my hands might produce a birdhouse

Nails in Jesus Christ's hands will produce salvation

for the entire world

It depends whose hands it's in

As you see now it depends whose hands it's in

So putyour concerns, your worries, your fears,

your hopes,your dreams,

your families and your relationships in

God's hands because - It depends whose hands it's in.

Stumbled upon it at this site: http://byfaithonly.com/ItsNotOverYet/WhosHands.html so I thought I'd share it with you all =)

Enjoy!~

Live365Rocks!

Just thought I'd like to share a little something with all of you that has really intrigued me. A 15 year old friend of mine from the States, who I met through an online game, IMed me out of the blue today.

Our conversations usually end quite a short time after our hellos but today we suddenly started talking about God. He started telling me about the youth from his church in the States. According to him, every week 600+ kids show up for youth! They hold events every few weeks or so and after each one, the average, on a weekly basis, raises by 50+! He even said that they had to put a 1000 kid limit for the upcoming event. I am truly impressed by the determination and passion that these youths have for God.

Their church has a personal website, http://www.live365rocks.com/. He says that they have a guest band play for them, I think occasionally, called Leeland and they have apparently got a Grammy nomination before.

They record their services and post them up every Thursday. The site is pretty cool. Do check it out if you all have the time, yeah?

God bless =)

"Hope for the Hopeless"

hope[1, verb]
1 : to cherish a desire with anticipation
2 archaic : TRUST
hope[2, noun]
1 : to desire with expectation of obtainment
2 : to expect with confidence : TRUST


Ever hear the phrase, 'Hope for the Hopeless'? To live without a purpose. To see no tomorrow. To find no redemption. That is how the hopeless live.

Based on no grounds, their optimistic side proves weak as they fail to persist at the false hope of a brighter tomorrow. To keep an optimistic view is always good. But the truth is, the hopeless do not base their optimism on hope, rather on what they hear in fairytales and in storybooks; that "..tomorrow will be a brighter day" or rather what I'd like to call a hope based on no grounds. For they do not really believe it. Still, they are desperate for any form of hope to keep their lives hanging by that thin thread.

Some give up and find no reason to live. They resort to self-inflicted pain which often times they claim they do for the reason of wanting to feel something, to remind themselves that they are still alive. Others find comfort in hurting their bodies with drugs and an overdosage of pills.

The truth is, even without being in a tight fix, we all subconsciously need some form of hope to pull us through every day. Little things like hope of being able to wake up to see the faces of our loved ones or big things like hope of having your boyfriend/girlfriend fly home safely to celebrate your 2nd anniversary or just normal everyday things like hope for a good day tomorrow.

Hope starts from trusting, in confidence, that things will get better. Of course we do not put our trust simply in nothing. That would not give us hope, or rather it would not last very long.

Hope lies only in one person, and that one person is Our Great King. With Him in our lives, everything can be made possible if the intentions are right. Believe that your God is a great one. Believe that He will save you from every downfall, every mistake, every sin. Lift up the thoughts that keep you awake at night. Lift up the pain that stakes through your heart everytime you take a breath. Lift up the squabbles and shouting that goes on at home every night, that has left you afraid. Lift up that relationship with your partner that has gone sour and has left you bitter and cold. Ask Him to set you free. Free of the bondages that chain you so tightly and weigh you down so heavily. Just lift these simple words to Him:

"Lord, I lift up my burdens to You in confidence that You will share the load with me and make everything better. I pray this is Your most gracious name, Amen."

He requires no explanation, nor a long story of what has happened or what you need Him to change. He listens not to the words that come out of your mouth but rather to the words in your heart. So don't feel reluctant to ask Him for assistance as not much needs to be said. Whisper Him a little prayer. For though He is a BIG God, He can hear every little prayer from each one of His children. And in a heartbeat, He will be there. Not to watch you carry the load alone, not to stand there and watch you fall but to lift that burden off your shoulders in a breath and set you free.

"I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep." --John 10:14-15

That's how much He loves YOU! That's how far He's willing to go for YOU! HIS SHEEP! HIS PEOPLE! So doubt not His willingness to share your burdens, to share your pain, to share your sufferings! For He is a compassionate God. A merciful God. A God of grace. A mighty God, willing to lay His life down for you and me.

A very wise person taught me this and I wanted to share this with all of you as well, in hope that it may too touch your lives as it has touched mine. When caught in a tight fix we often find ourselves saying, "Oh my God, I have a BIG problem!". Well, next time you find yourself in such a situation, try saying this instead: "Oh my problem, I have a BIG God!"

May God continue to shower His never ending blessings on all of you and I wish you all a very blessed and prosperous Chinese New Year!~

A Purpose Driven Life

Subject: An Interview with Rick Warren

This is an absolutely incredible interview with Rick Warren, "Purpose Driven Life" author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California. His wife now has cancer, and he now has "wealth" from book sales. In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said: People ask me "What is the purpose of life?" And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act- the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense. Life is a series of problems. Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys- you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountain top, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always a bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centredness, which is my pain to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others. We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of the hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with both the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, 2 Corinthians 9 and Psalms 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases. Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation. Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free. We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for posessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes(for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.


Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.

Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.

Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.

Painful moments, TRUST GOD.

Every moment, THANK GOD.

This is beautiful and food for the soul. A friend sent it to me, I shared it with you, now pick someone you want to bless. God loves you and so do I, have a blessed Lord's day!

Adapted from an email courtesy of a good friend of mine. Thank you, my good friend. Hope that it will touch your life as much as it touched mine.

http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/ : A site by Rick Warren himself. Drop by and take a look if you feel the need to do so =)

God bless.

You Are The Contender!

The way I see it, there are two ways to go by. Live your life wallowing in the fact that life isn't always gonna be a bed of roses OR live life making the best of those bumpy roads that you're gonna have to drive through at some point of your journey.
To choose to go through life all grumpy and bitter, dwelling on the fact that life bites you hard on the rear end sometimes, is just as good as throwing in the towel before even entering the fighting ring.

Life is sometimes alot like a boxing match (I know, I know, such queer analogies, but just follow me on this one ;p).You are the boxer and with every boxer there is a coach who will stand by the sidelines and cheers you on. God is that coach.
Now as we all know, no boxing match is ever easy. Strategy. Strength. Determination. Coordination. All essential factors in boxing. And while in the ring, all odds are split 50/50. Sometimes we get an opportunity at our opponent and we make our move. Striking at him with all you've got. You rise up on top for a moment and all odds appear to favour you. But then at the very next second, an opportunity could open up for your opponent and it'll be his turn to strike back. And that is when we fall. Fall down hard. It gets so critical sometimes in the ring because when the opponent gets a chance at you, there are high chances that you may be severely injured.
Now you feel light headed and signal your coach to pull you out of the match. But he won't. He insists you stay in the game. He insists you fight to the end. He won't let you forfeit.
You beg your coach once again to pull you out of the match. He once again turns you down in a heartbeat. He won't let you quit now. Not after all the effort you've put in. Guess what he does instead. He'll call you to a corner. And quickly he will whisper something in your ear. Strategies on how you can win this. You muster what's left of your strength and you go in for the kill. All throughout the match your coach cheers you on from the sidelines, telling you that you CAN do it! And sure enough you win the match. You're exhausted but somehow when that bell is rung and the winner's name is announced, fulfilment and self-satisfaction fill your heart.

Now your coach could've easily pulled you out of the game. Heck, he could've even climbed into the ring and knock the guy out for you, which I'm sure he's plenty capable of doing. But guess what, he let you fall to see you grow. Because now you leave the boxing ring a stronger and better fighter.


Yes, God fights your fights and wins your battles for you. He protects you and He will save you from harm. But then we will wonder, everytime we fall at the likes of the world, why isn't God helping me fight this one? Why won't he pull me out of the match?
Guess what, He IS helping you fight this fight! He stands by the ring, shouting words of encouragement, letting you know "YOU CAN DO IT!" He tells you how you can win this fight. He whispers you strategies that will lead you to victory. All you have to do is open your heart to His words and listen carefully to what He's trying to tell you. He won't pull you out of the game because He won't let you give up! He wants you to fight with all that you have and come out stronger! Better! Than ever before. For after every storm comes a rainbow. And now you are left with something to add to your star of greatness.

I don't know how to love Him.

Sometimes we find it hard to love someone. How to love them. How to show them. So how do we love the one who loves us so unconditionally?

1 John 4:19 "We love him, because he first loved us."

1. Find out more
Find out. Read the bible. Learn more about the Lord. Learn of all the great things He's done and what lengths He has gone to for us. The Bible isn't always easy to understand so try to purchase those in simple and modern english. Try to seek your youth group leader or if you are not part of a youth group, a parent or your Bible teacher on the verses or just about anything you don't understand in the Bible or about God.

Get involved in a youth group. Take part in talks and seminars. This will help you to understand Him more. Be open and do not hesitate to confront your youth group leader on anything that questions your understanding and faith in God. By knowing Him, you will love Him.

Just like in any normal relationship, we must first know our partner in order to truly love him/her. We would usually take the initiative and go all out to understand and find out more about our partner. And with each excrutiating detail revealed, we find that the love we have for them grows stronger and stronger. It is the exact same thing with our Lord Jesus Christ.



2. Power of Praise
Praise and worship the Lord for all that He has done. Shout of His greatness to the world and proclaim that He is God. Contradict not the words you sing in your songs of praise, but live by them and sing them with all of your heart and soul. Go for concerts, presentations or other events that give you the opportunity to praise Him whole-heartedly without distractions nor daily disturbances. Devote those few hours to Him and only Him. You will find that as time gradually passes, the praise and glory that you give to Him through all this helps you to appreciate Him so much more than you already do. This subconciously helps you to grow in faith and love for Him and after time you'll find yourself singing praises to Him in the shower or at school or anywhere else for that matter, for His greatness overwhelms you.

Of course, we cannot expect this process to be a fast one. Everyone discovers Him at their own pace. Its not so much of how fast you fall in love with Him, rather how long it will last.

1 John 4:15 "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God."



3. Don't find time, MAKE time!
Always make time for the Lord. Make time to thank Him for every little thing, for every big thing and for every other thing. Greet Him a good morning as you awake in the morning. Stop what you're doing for one second to look up to Him and just acknowledge His presence by sending Him a smile.
Though rushing through a busy day, never forget to make time for Him. To say a few words to Him. To devote at least 10-15 minutes to Him each night. Tell Him about your day ;). Confide in Him. Cry with Him. Laugh with Him. Or just sit with Him and let Him know "I'm here, Lord."

Referring to a true story I heard from a friend, there was a poor, dirty, smelly man. A beggar, who used to sit outside church everyday during mass. The congregation did not welcome him, what more like him even. Everyday he would go into the church right before mass began and he would sit on one of the church pews and look up to the cross. After a short while he would leave again and return outside. A woman, curious with his actions, one day after long observation of his strange routine decided to confront him and ask him why he would spend a few minutes in church right before mass and then leave to wait outside. He answered her this. "Everyday I will go inside the church, sit down and look up at the cross. I would tell God that I do not know the Our Father, nor do I know the Hail Mary or Glory Be but Lord, I am here."

A while later the woman noticed that the man had stopped coming to church. She found out later on that he had been admitted to the hospital for reasons regarding his bad health. She decided to go see him one day and found him smiling in the hospital bed, looking fresher than ever. She asked him why he was so happy lying in a hospital bed.
He told her that earlier on someone had visited him. A man dressed all in white and the man said, "John, I am here."



4. Ask and you shall receive
Seek Him! Ask Him for strength. Ask Him to guide you on your journey to discover and love Him more. Ask Him to help you love and understand Him more through time. Let Him know that you want to know Him better. That you want to love him more. For we are weak without God. And we are lost without His guidance. And we need help. Help to go through this life. A hand to hold us up and to support our standing. Pray and ask Him for all that you need to get through this life. Want it with all your heart. Want Him with all your heart. For if you really want it, He will grant it.


Hebrew 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."



It's never easy to fall in love with someone who's not physically there for you. And no one said that there wouldn't be obstacles along the way. But never let go. Find Him. Seek Him. Love Him. Need Him. Speak to Him. Ask Him. And once you've found Him, NEVER LET GO! I have come to find out that all this while it was not I who has been holding onto Him, but rather HE had never let me go.



1 Corinthians 13:13 "So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."