In Christ Alone.

What I should study in College

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:21:51 +0800

I know that I am called to be a missionary. But I am a student in a secular university.
The first time I received my calling, I thought I should quit the university education and just go to a seminary. But I wasn’t. Then I realized that I don’t need to go to a seminary to be qualified.
But in the university, instead of being isolated, I have the opportunity to experience ministry firsthand, not because it is an ‘academic requirement’ but really because it is what God wants me to do right where I am. And here, God is my personal teacher. This is the mission field I am in.
Then there came the times when I was failing academically. And I thought maybe my course has nothing to do with being a missionary.
I got a year to realize that what I want to be has definitely nothing to do with what I was studying. So I decided maybe I should shift. I found a course that I’m really interested in and it will also be relevant to missions. But when came the shifting process, I instead landed on a course I never knew existed. And I’m pleasantly surprised! It’s a course that is specializes in family! Something really close to my heart! I’m so happy. It seems God is really behind it all. I also found out that there are other courses that will be relevant to helping people (organizing, development, etc) which I could actually transfer to if ever I fail this one (but I don’t want to fail this! I want to finish this! I want to make a thesis using what’s being studied here!). I also found that there are other things I could do (that I could also study).
Then lately, I found out that my father also wants me to have a diploma. It is his fear that I become so indecisive or not firm in my decision that I end up not finishing anything.
And I also saw how a lot of my batch mates have graduated already.
Then I knew that I also wanted to graduate. It’s always a happy feeling to finish something especially if you’ve been through a lot and in the process you don’t escape growth. :)
And I also knew that I want to honor my father by finishing (and I remember that my mother wants me to finish first too and she knows what I want to become!).

Then I realized I don’t need a specific course.
I mean, to become a missionary, I don’t need a specific course.

Instead, what I need to learn (through whatever degree program I find myself in) is
faithfulness and discipline.
I will need that if I am to finish the race set before me.
And the faith that will grow and will be refined as I learn to trust God in the small things.
The time I’d spend will not be put to waste. As long as I keep on following and walking with my God.
Same goes with my work.
Until the day comes when I’ll launched. :3
After all, being a missionary is taking care of God’s most precious.

Grace. Grace is given us. Grace is very gentle towards sinners. But towards the enemy, grace is the...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:44:10 +0800

Grace.
Grace is given us.

Grace is very gentle towards sinners.

But towards the enemy, grace is the most violent weapon we have, that if we have it and take hold of it and use it, there is no question on our victory.
Knowing grace as God’s undeserved favor the first time we encounter God changes us.

But it’s not the extent of that grace.
As we take hold of His invitation to go after Him, to follow Him all the way, we’ll see that grace is the enabling power of God in us and through us to shatter the world of darkness, so that the world can know the undeserved favor He has for the world.

Vocabulary mix-up: familiarity and depth

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 11:37:58 +0800

When I say ‘Crazy!’ I usually mean something is so amazing that it is mind-blowing and overwhelming.

Like it’s crazy how big 1,000,000,000 really is.
Or just how big the universe is.

It’s easy to say the words or the numbers. It’s easy to memorize the facts. But it’s crazy, it’s mind-blowing to actually comprehend it.

A glimpse of the bigness of a billion is to see it through the seconds -

1000 seconds = 16 minutes and 40 seconds

1,000,000 seconds = 12 days

1,000,000,000 seconds = 31 years

1 million seconds equivalent to 12 days in comparison to 1 billion seconds equivalent to 31 years.
I tell you that is a MASSIVE MASSIVE difference in meaning.
But we write it with a simple difference of three zeros in numbers and one letter in words.
But what if you really think about how big it is?
Can you imagine a million coins? A billion coins?
A hundred stars like the sun (some smaller and some bigger)? A thousand stars? A million? A billion?
Can you think about it? Think about it for a while. Stop reading and think about it for a while (or you can go back and read those facts again).

See! It’s crazy~ I mean, its reality would not just fit in to my imagination or how I am used to think. I’m more used to think of tens and hundreds and a few thousands.

Another wonder that gets me is the human life. Even before a sperm and an egg unites, millions of sperms trying to get through the one egg. What it has to go through, how it knew what to do, how it recognizes where it should swim and what its goal is. Are they alive? Do they have minds?

And when the egg and sperm finally unites, (it’s as big or I think smaller than this period - .) That! That will become as big as you! It will grow slowly until it will be as big as a dot made by a brush, then as big as a thumb, as big as a fist and so on. Then it becomes as big as a new born baby (that is anything but big). And then that baby grows some more. Learns to smile, laugh, utter a syllable or a word, everyday, the baby becomes more and more like his or her parents or grandparents. He or she learns to tell a story, tell his or her dream, tell what he or she feels.

Isn’t that amazing?
Life in its entirety and life in its little details is very beautiful and amazing.

I’m thinking about these words: beautiful, amazing, awesome.
Sometimes, I tend to use it lightly. Sometimes I say Awesome!’ to something that merely made my heart skip a beat with excitement that doesn’t even last for five seconds. Sometimes I use it to comment because it sounds cool to use the word. But the awe wasn’t really there and just hype and some pinches of hypocrisy.

But these words existed for the concepts it stands for, the realities it catches. What really is awesome? What really is amazing? Is something beautiful really full of beauty?

But then there are times when I realize how vast the universe is and I found the words ‘amazing’ and ‘awesome’ as understatements. Or maybe it’s because how I used those words lightly and didn’t really reserve them for something that really stands up to the meaning of those words.
But what if I didn’t use them lightly? Then perhaps those words were there because wonders like the universe and human life exists.

And if beautiful is to be taken to its full meaning as full of beauty that leaves no room for even a hint of ugliness, then I only find God as the One qualified. And well, He’s not just full of beauty, He overflows with it that the ones who come to Him will be filled with beauty as well until there’s no more room for even a pinch of ugliness.

And what if the world, (that’s you and me) just pause from its busyness (that somehow steals from the beautiful meaning of life) even for a moment to look at the wonders that is in us and is all around us? Then perhaps we’ll change on how we live our lives. Maybe then we’ll have more reverence and even love towards nature, each other and God Himself. Perhaps, the hardness of heart caused by familiarity will break and the awe will struck and change us.

image taken from: http://www.imabgroup.net/posts/2013/January/how-to-bring-integrated-marketing-to-life-for-your-nonprofit.html

"No man has any moral right to go before the people who has not first been long before the Lord. No..."

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 09:03:06 +0800

“No man has any moral right to go before the people who has not first been long before the Lord. No man has any right to speak to men about God who has not first spoken to God about men. And the prophet of God should spend more time in the secret place praying than he spends in the public place preaching..”

- A.W. Tozer The Root of the Righteous, 121-122.

Dream at dawn of March 28, 2013

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:17:41 +0800

I had a dream last night. It was quite a long dream.

I’m living with my room mates in a house. It kind of looks/feels like our family’s house but looks an old house.

It was Sunday. I was expecting to go to the service.

But it’s already 7 PM in the clock.

I walked out of the house together with my roommates, they were going somewhere. And I was supposed to go to the church but it’s already past the service time. I don’t remember the exact details after that but what I can remember, my roommate was afraid because she said that there is a ghost in the house.

But I was not that worried because I can’t see it.

Until I was left alone in the house.

And I felt something moving in my head.

I looked at the mirror, I saw that the ‘hat’ I’m wearing was moving and also my hair like somebody was messing with it.

I can’t happen the exact following.

But later, I saw that the ‘ghost’ is trying to scare us. And he wants to do even more than that. I think ‘she (looks like a girl) would want to kill.

We tried to tell I think our parents about this ghost. But the only evidence we got is what is on ‘my’ phone (which in real life is really Nadz’).

Those scenes were like one of those horror movies I watched that will give one the creeps.

But since the ghost is being a threat to a life (I can’t remember if it has already killed in the dream), I would like to fight it off. And since I know that I can fight it.

But it was so difficult to utter a prayer.

In the dream I can speak normally but when I start to utter a prayer, it seems like my voice is taken or my tongue becomes very heavy. And my heart beats fast as I want to utter a prayer to rebuke the ghost but finds very difficult to do it in the dream.

But I kept on trying. I didn’t stop.

Sometimes, the ghost seemed to mock me because I don’t have a voice or am finding it very difficult to pray.

But I remember I kept on praying in the name of Jesus and applying of Jesus. I applied the blood of Jesus over me and over the ones who were in the dream. I know the blood of Jesus will guard us, will protect us.

By this time, I was kind of having a realization (maybe I was half awake). That I am in a warfare. The circumstance I was in the dream was a warfare where I need to persistent in my prayer and never give up and never back down even in the face of fear itself.

I also remembered that there was a scene of confrontation, that as I kept on praying to drive the ghost away, that I met with my leader and confessed to her. I knew that to defeat the enemy, I need to be pure and blameless. As I confess, God is faithful to forgive me and the blood of Jesus cleanses me from all sin.

Purity is very important in warfare.

The prayer of a RIGHTEOUS man is effective.

And then I remembered when I was finally awakened that I spoke out loud in the real world. I can’t remember what I said but I realized again that I need to SPEAK OUT LOUD. I can’t remain silent. I am not really voiceless.

I should be aggressive in prayer and militant in guarding my heart, in keeping my purity. I am at war. And the enemy was set out to kill me and the people around me. But I had the greatest weapon - the name and blood of Jesus.

I know I didn’t had for nothing or out of nothing.

This dream is connected to what God has been teaching me lately and what’s happening lately.

2 Tim 2:3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good SOLDIER of Christ Jesus. 4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. 5 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. 6 And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. 7 Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things.

Mark 13:33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.

1 Peter 5:8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

I should be in war-mode always starting today!

Psalm 16:7 I will bless the LORD who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me.

Thank God for His guidance. He will never let me fall. He will never let me head on to destruction.

The extent. What is the extent of these words?“All authority has...

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 03:37:20 +0800

The extent.

What is the extent of these words?
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” -Jesus

All means no exception.
Authority means power, nothing can go against power and succeed. When two things collide, the stronger will always stand and the weaker is destroyed.

ALL authority. Not just a portion of it.

And not just on earth, not just in heaven but in heaven and on earth.

That is the premise of His commission: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;

Because of what He has won, we can go and make disciples. Not just of one community, not just of one group of people but all nations.

I’ve heard this verse a lot but today I want to dive into its reality. What does it really mean for me as a disciple and the entire Church?
It means we are unstoppable (in all the sense of that word).
If there are people who have every integrity to use that word, it is us, His commissioned!

^{Ephesians 1:19}and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might ²⁰which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. ²²And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, ²³which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (NASB)

Jesus isn’t just above. He is FAR above.
And He isn’t just far above some things. He is FAR ABOVE ALL!
Name it! It will always be under the name of Jesus!

Far above poverty, far above injustice, far above death, far above sickness, far above broken families, far above every oppression, far above all!

That is our God!

That’s why we can storm the gates of Hell with confidence!
This is how mighty to save our God is!

And when I think about this, I would never want to live less.
When I remember this, I have every guts to dream that I can excel in my studies, that I will see my family be victorious in their lives, that I will see my campus turn their hearts to Him, that I will see families and communities restored, that I will see my nation rise up, that I will see tribes and nations come to know His saving power.
When I see more of just how great my God is, I will definitely live this life to the full (in all its abundance and it will not be stolen again); I will definitely fulfill His given Destiny.

It’s gone! Over! Defeated!! Whoohooo! Death has lost its...

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:28:14 +0800

It’s gone! Over! Defeated!! Whoohooo! Death has lost its sting!

And if death is conquered, what else shall be able to stop us!!!

Praise Jesus!

EMERGENCY!!!

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 23:43:12 +0800

From the HistoryMakers page. Please take time to read.

Dear Friends,

You probably know that we rarely send emails unless we have a very urgent prayer request we would like to share with you. This is such a time.

A dear personal friend of mine is in trouble for no reason except that he loves and obeys Jesus Christ. His name is Saeed Abedini. He was born in Iran, but is now a US citizen. His wife Naghmeh is also a US citizen and they live with their two children in the US state of Idaho.

Saeed, despite being just 32 years old, has been instrumental in bringing many Iranian Muslims to the Lord, and has established numerous house churches throughout Iran.

He asked me to write his biography, and I was working on it when Saeed made one last trip back to Iran to say goodbye to his family. He knew that when his book came out it would be impossible for him to travel back to the country of his birth.

I can assure you that his testimony is quite remarkable and will bring much glory to God, and I can testify that Saeed is a God-fearing brother who loves the Lord Jesus. Before he met the Lord, Saeed was so depressed he wanted to commit suicide, and for a time he was trained by Hezbollah to be a suicide bomber. After he experienced salvation through the Blood of Jesus Christ, Saeed’s whole life was so dramatically transformed that he could not help but spread the Good News to as many people as possible.

In September last year Saeed was travelling on a bus near the Iranian border when Revolutionary Guards boarded the bus and dragged him off. He has been held for months while he waited for his case to come before the courts of Iran. He is currently captive in the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran. He has been mercilessly tortured, but has not denied His Lord and Savior.

Despite being an American citizen, the US State Department has done nothing to help as they have no relationship with Iran. From the human level, there is little hope for Saeed. Indications have been given that he may be sentenced to 18 years in prison, or possibly even given the death penalty.

That is why I am asking you to pray. What politicians and the strength of men are unable to achieve, God can do!

Today we received news that Saeed’s case has been assigned to a notorious judge who is known as ‘the hanging judge” because of his history of sending people to the gallows. This man has such a fearsome reputation that few lawyers in Iran are willing to defend clients before him, because the judge often has the lawyer thrown into prison as well. He is due to hand down his sentence next week. The American Center for Law and Justice has released this harrowing statement, which includes a picture of Saeed and his family:http://aclj.org/iran/american-father-husband-abandoned-iran-handed-hanging-judge

Despite all these hardships, Saeed continues to stand strong for the Lord. In a recent letter to his family from prison he wrote, “Prison is a test of faith. I was always worried that the storms of this life would break the ship of my faith, but when you stand steadfast, the storms are like a nice breeze. Nothing can break my faith. These walls have created more fervor for me to love others through sharing the Gospel, but more than that, the walls have deepened my love for my Savior. I feel the prayers of all who are praying for me.”

Can you please pray that our Living God will perform a miracle for Saeed and his family?

· Whatever the outcome, please pray that the Name of Jesus will be glorified and many thousands in Iran will hear the Gospel because of Saeed’s imprisonment.
· Please ask God to soften the heart of Judge Pir-Abassi, and that the Lord’s will may completely overshadow all the proceedings. Pray Saeed will receivegrace and favour from the Lord.
· Ask God to bring this situation to the attention of many intercessors around the world who will pray for Saeed and his family.
· Please pray Saeed will continue to stand firm and be a great witness to the guards and other prisoners he comes into contact with.
· Pray the Gospel will continue to spread to the 70 million captive Iranians. Many are open to knowing and following Jesus Christ, but have never heard the message of His salvation.

Please feel free to forward this message to other praying Christians. There are no security restrictions on it and there is nothing in the content which the Iranian government doesn’t already know. You may also post this message in its entirety on social media or websites, if you feel it will help mobilize more Christians to pray.

For our King,

Paul Hattaway
www.asiaharvest.org

What's your BHAG?

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 18:38:37 +0800

What's your BHAG?:

“The impossible might not be that impossible.” :)

cherrytiger10: rumero replied to your post: 25 things I should be proud of Why don’t you list out...

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:39:56 +0800

cherrytiger10:

rumero replied to your post: 25 things I should be proud of

Why don’t you list out the things that make you sad and confront and be rid of it each one by one? Golden rules for me is to never expect and be pragmatic! I hope this helps, and I wish happiness for you all the way!

That’s a really good question! And to be honest, I did think about writing a list of all the things that make me sad and hate myself. It’s a long explanation, and I do mention what it is that makes me sad, but here’s the thing…

Read More

When are you coming to the Philippines? :)))

bewitching-atlas: These would make such absolutely amazing...

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 02:16:55 +0800

bewitching-atlas:

These would make such absolutely amazing engagement rings. ;w;

mariarizzafernandine: feel ko ito na yun. <3 picture by...

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 02:01:17 +0800

mariarizzafernandine:

feel ko ito na yun. <3

picture by Tinig ng Plaridel.

Whoohoooo!!!

You are not fat.

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 02:00:48 +0800

lexieatshealthy:

You are a soul. You are a mind. You are not fat. You have fat. You also have fingernails, but you aren’t fingernails, are you? You have hair, but you aren’t hair, are you? You have fat, but you are not fat. You are beautiful.

25 things I should be proud of

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 01:44:21 +0800

cherrytiger10:

So I’m now 25, and even today my colleagues are telling me I have now reached the age of where I should be looking for someone to settle down with. -___-

Well, screw that! I have survived these 25 years without depending on a man! And I’ve accomplished a lot in this life, even if it is petty! So after mentioning it before… finally! Here is my list of 25 things I should be proud of. It’s a very self-centred post so everything is under a cut. It took a while to complete, cause I wasn’t sure what counted. But in the end, I went ahead with what I thought was right. It’s a little lengthy, but it will have to do. :)

Read More

Yeah! Just a change of perspective! When you’re thinking about negative things again and dwelling on them, catch yourself, stop and decide to look at the good things in your life (some call it counting blessings).

Lie: you are not loved. Ignore this lie. <3 You are very, very, very much loved, so much more than you know..

(I intended to just add this but I don’t know how so I re-blogged it. :))

What if God was one of us?Just a slob like one of us? Well,...

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 01:19:42 +0800

What if God was one of us?
Just a slob like one of us?

Well, I’ve heard that He did became one of us…and was a slob, regarded as slovenly, crude, obnoxious, unattractive person..

Isaiah 53 (NLT)

Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
²My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
³He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

⁴Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
⁵But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
⁶All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

⁷He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
⁸Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
⁹He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

¹⁰But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
¹¹When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
¹²I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

earthinmywindow: Rainbow bridge, Taiwan - Imgur <3

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:03:28 +0800

earthinmywindow:

Rainbow bridge, Taiwan - Imgur

page13: Doin' My Dishes

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 11:57:39 +0800

page13: Doin' My Dishes:

Yeah! God always speaks to us even through the most mundane and ordinary things. It’s up to us if our hearts are listening enough. :)

jetjoshua:

Guys, check this out.

You see, I’m quite particular with the cleanliness of the dishes at my house, especially since we clean everything by hand. If I pick up a so-called “washed” plate and it has some grease on it, it’s going back in the sink to be re-washed. This happens quite a lot, mainly…

"If the leaves had not been let go to fall and wither, if the tree had not consented to be a skeleton..."

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 23:35:08 +0800

“If the leaves had not been let go to fall and wither, if the tree had not consented to be a skeleton for many months, there would be no NEW life rising, no bud, no flower, no fruit, no seed, no NEW GENERATION.”

- Elisabeth Elliot (Passion and Purity)

I’ve heard people said, “Surely God will understand..” But I wonder if I’d...

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 20:06:00 +0800

I’ve heard people said, “Surely God will understand..” But I wonder if I’d ever be told such.. how about me? Do I understand God? Do I understand why He wants me to do some things and why He allows me to go through certain circumstances? Yeah, sure He knows me and what I’m thinking, He knows why I’m thinking this way, He knows my mindset. But how about me? Do I know how God thinks? Do I understand His ways? And if I said that I love Him and I am His follower, then shouldn’t I seek to understand Him?

Knowing that God knows my frailty doesn’t make (never makes) an enough excuse to live in any way less than how He wants me to live.

Some people (me included at times) would want to settle on the thought that God knows we are weak and still loves us anyways to stay where they are (or how they are). Some might just want to think of that to appease the guilt of whatever mediocrity they’re in, that including God and His grace in their thoughts will suffice.

But if we really are serious about God, wouldn’t we consider that in all His grace, He is worth our real change of hearts and change of minds? That He is worth the effort of actually living for what is glorifying to Him, to what He’s called us to, even if it requires of us leaving our places of comfort and familiarity?

If we really believe and trust in His grace as being enough, wouldn’t we then be rising up to everything He made us to be and stop making excuses because after all, His grace is enough..enough for us to say ‘yes’ to whatever it is He is called us to?

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where..."

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 19:43:35 +0800

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or
where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly. … who knows the great
enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows
in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while
daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never
known neither victory nor defeat.
—TEDDY ROOSEVELT”

- Wild At Heart Introduction