Enemy is Defeated

if theres anything I learnt in Tassy, it was that joy comes in the morning, or simply put, suffering is part and parcel of the plan, take hope in that God will see you through it, and that it will pass and be replaced with exponential blessing.

He is greater than the circumstances. I WILL praise Him and thank Him despite these letdowns. I am already blessed as it is with supportive family etc. Ugh. Rant.

Dear Child

"I want this! Its looks good to me!"

Smiling fondly as he wraps his warm hand around mine, he gently pulled me away and said, "No dear child, I know what you really want."

"How do you know?"

"Because I love you, more than you love yourself."

"Then show me what to do! Or tell me what is it that I really want! Its not easy you know."

"I have been showing you all the time dear one, never once I have stopped. But you realise, that you have to be nearer than that to hear me through the noise?"

"I am near, aren't you always beside me?"

"I meant here." He then laid his hand upon my heart. "Listen from here."

"Oh."

"Don't worry, I'll be waiting. I love you."


Some of you need to reflect upon this! :)

That 4 lettered word

Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incomplete's will be canceled.

1 Cor 13:8-10 (MSG)

I guess sometimes, its good to remember that if we understood everything, there wont be a need for God to teach and guide us, would there?

"we only know a portion of the truth" - that He showed us anyway. Its quite humbling that sometimes we get caught up in doing things, learning, teaching, and feeling oh wow we're there! We're definitely not there. But its important work nevertheless, because He first loved us, then only we are able to love Him and others.

Also, it is not fair to say Christianity is illogical, senseless, brainless just because its based on faith. Its more like, faith is what we believe will bring us to knowledge - complete, perfect, and truthful knowledge, because our God promised completeness in Him. Dont get me wrong, the human pursuit of knowledge is important, and I advocate finding out as much as possible in science and nature. But specifically I am of opinion that the careless dismissal of faith and emotions as medieval charlatanry is bigoted.

Interesting that Love was the only one that didnt die out when He comes to complete us. Maybe, thats the only complete part of us that didnt need fixing.

In conclusion, v13 (MSG) goes on to say:

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.

The Importance of Memories

Looking back is dangerous.

Luke 9:62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Genesis 19:26 But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

But remembrance is important.

1 Cor 11:24-25 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying,“This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

When you take out journals, pictures, notes, cards, messages. It strengthens resolve, it reinforces purpose, it refreshes weary hearts, and it redirects tired feet. 

Yes! There were struggles, worries, fears, doubts in the past. But as you look through the memories, you realise you can cling on to the promise that He will walk with you now, as He did then.

Keep them memories close, and the people in them closer.

Question Mark

its mysterious

its fresh

its new

its intriguing

its a new thing every time!

Expansion comes at the expense of comfort, and replaces it with a curious mind of "what's that, what's next?"

God You Have Done It Again!

yesterday I saw fire fall down from heaven.

I saw people whose hearts were hungry,

I saw broken lives restored,

I saw old and new chains crumble into dust.

I saw a generation ready to claim the promise land.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this Father.

Transcending

2 lines mark today,

"I see your hands, I see where you thought you're insufficient, but know that I am pleased with you, I love you, keep this up."

"Do you trust Me?"

Phil 3:14 - Press on.

History

Looking back, we were definitely young, said too many things, laughed more, thought less, cared more, tried harder, dreamt more. Change is inevitable but fast forward, are we living for the right things now?

Let not our growth take away the innocence of youth.

Arise, Hope

Sometimes, victory seems so out of reach, no matter how hard we try. Chasing dreams for umpteen years yet coming out second best. Seeking for the answer, only to be left with even more questions unanswered. Doing good, yet receiving nothing in return. Offering an helping hand, that is pushed away. Searching for comfort, but only finding doubt.

Although the saying "the night is always darkest before the dawn" is to be questioned, it is with a considerable degree of certainty that the dawn will come, no matter how long or dark the night. So lets have hope! Right?

I for one, do not concur. For in the good book of Psalms 23:4 it reads, "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

In total contrast to the view that the world depend on, that the victory is declared when the dawn reaches, when dreams are realised, when answers are given, when goodness is rewarded, when help is accepted, when comfort is found; God declares that true victory is when we walk through the night, with Him by our side, as we draw deeper and depend on Him more.

What is the dawn? It comes and goes, and it will be night again. But your God will remain by your side.

Where does your hope come from?

Desiring

Matthew 7:7-8.


Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.


Jeremiah 29:13-14a.


You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. "I will be found by you,” declares the Lord...

Beginnings

21 days.

Don't let my spirit sleep.

Deeper

Howwwwwwwwwwwwww laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Godddddddddddddddddd?????

I turn to You, not expecting, but wanting to draw deeper, because the best way for me is Your way. Please show me something!!!

Hwaiting! (C'mon, I am Your son!)

Longings

Of warm weather and a bright future.

Step 1

Realization that I cant do it on my own, or rather, it can be done so much better if I let go, and let Him.

Photograph

They say that when words are not enough, a picture comes in handy.

Or even flashy lines like "A picture speaks a thousand words" come to mind. 

But, ask yourself, what does that even mean???

A picture is most definitely not a thousand words, it is much more than that. It is a human attempt at capturing emotion, and the reason why we are touched by a "good picture" is because it has in a way, succeeded.

However, even with the best equipment available that will ever be invented, one cannot fully capture a moment. To put it simply, how do you describe an experience? You cannot, it is a bittersweet thing, for it is yours to keep but you cannot fully share it with another. You can only show a part of it, through art, dance, music, and other forms of sensory communication.

In the same way, Christianity is like photography. God is to be experienced, not simplified or put in a box. A simple analogy would be how do you put the same scent of mountain fresh air into a picture? I do not need to go into the rest of the senses, plus any thoughts and emotions that was invoked during the phototaking. Following that train of thought, we calling ourselves Christians are the photographers of this experience. We go experience God, and then bring back beautiful photos so that people might glimpse and see a small part of what God is doing.

And then, maybe they will take some photos of their own.

Without You

I am nothing.


The past few weeks. There has been good news, and the bad news and the in between news.

Let it not be my burden to bear.

at the same time, let it not be my hands that are glorified.

only You can move the mountains!

So, guide me.

Just a Picture

Through the triumph and trials alike.


exhales.

All honor and praise.

I hope for the very best for you.

I Solemnly Swear

that I am up no good, (and all the HP fans say whattt?)

that I will cut my fingernails tomorrow. Haha!

What. A. Day. :)

May

the 4th be with you!

The Last Bersih

I pray and fervently hope there will not be a Bersih 4.0.

For months people have prepared to come and protest in peace, and all it took was not even a day but a few hours for violence to break out like bush-fire across the news vine. What are we showing the world?

Crude actions by both parties, whether falsely reported or not, has gained the attention it needed, the Enemy's work has been done.

For those who suffered, by no means this is aimed to diminish what has happened to you. Good things has also happened today, that is of no doubt. Many a touching picture and video has spread across the web and shed light upon the situation. People all around the globe, are aware at the very least, that Malaysia isn't a country where it's inhabitants live in trees. Bersih 3.0 has certainly hit its mark.

But where there is good, evil will rise up to challenge it, and I fear that the seed of chaos has tarnished the once pure yellow army. Viral videos are popping up, and sowing discontent and leading to anger and a brick wall of intolerance and hatred.

In remembrance of what we are fighting for, a clean, safe and fair future for generations to come. I hope that whatever happened today, let love reign in the people's hearts, let enemies be forgiven, let us not puff up with pride, let us turn the other cheek and press on towards the bigger picture.

What happens after Bersih counts, not the rally itself.

I conclude with this, who are we to ask those whom we claim to be oppressors to step down, when we respond in kind when facing violence, hatred, discrimination and intolerance.

Are we not calling ourselves the better man?

For Negaraku, Tanah Air untuk semua.

I Hope

you're happy. I really do :)

Enemy

the enemy doesnt always come in the form of a big hulking beast.

the enemy doesnt always face you and fight it out.

the enemy is cunning, it hides it claws and covers its fangs behind beautiful things.

temptation wont work unless we feed it.

so dont feed the enemy.

Who Will Fight?

come on skinny love, just last the year.

Pointers from LTC today.

Accountability with people alone are just structures we set in place around us.

Intimacy with God comes first.

Don't depend on yesterday's relationship with Him.

With great revelation comes great responsibility.

Almost Everything

Strange thoughts come knocking at the weirdest times.

For me it was as I was sitting here eating my homecooked dinner (garlic prawns +spinach + rice = YUM) at 12am. okay quite random. but it was good and I was hungry.

Not that life isn't good, but it gets lonely sometimes doesn't it? The kind of lonely that defies logic cause there is people all around you that care for you.

I guess we miss what we don't have anymore.

and I don't know when will I see you again.

But hey it feels bad now but its gonna get better from here.


Someday.

I'll see you there :)

Edit: Guess it wasn't a weird time after all. Hmm. Condolences, its gonna get better okay :)

Belonging

To have someone special, wouldn't that be nice?

To be someone's special, wouldn't that be nice?

The warm fuzzy feeling that best describes the joy, comfort and strength of having someone beside you

But wait.

you do have someone special, and you are someone's special. He is beside you, your joy, comfort and strength.

and He is more than a warm fuzzy feeling!

on another note, pretty pumped for W&P night!

Decision Point

Wow so Ive been blogging a lot today. How thoughtful.

We live by our choices, thats the honest truth.

I changed mine. Hope you dont mind. :)

Sidetracked

lost my focus for a moment there.

back to normal! Studies and Gym Studies and Gym.

silly heart.

Reality

is black and white not grey how many times must I remind myself?

Broken

Tomorrow..

It'll be 100 Days.

since you've left.

since I saw you smile.

since I heard your voice.

since I touched your hand.

I wasnt even there to say goodbye.

100 days, since I cried those tears inside.

I'll be okay, cause I know you've got Him.

Tumblr

I has tumblr.

theroarasaur.tumblr.com

its a better place for short posts, pictures and thoughts. :)

this will still be up though, for the lengthy wordies.

cheers!

13.3.12.

If you want me,

Questioning, is essential to find the answer. It is the first step, and you should never be afraid of it. Challenge with gentleness, and an open heart. Growth is a process not a level up thing after all, and relationships are about wanting to finding out more and more.

random thoughts on spirituality/life.

Have I mentioned that Ive seen Taylor Swift face to face??? Shes so pretty lah! :D

you better speak up, I wont wait.

Connected

after like 3 weeks with no internet. ITS SO GOOD TO SEE STUFF ON A PROPER SCREEN. AND BE ABLE TO CHECK STUFF, FIND INFORMATION, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THINGS, ETCETC.

if the absence of internet meant anything, I guess it made me glad to have the following:

1) place to stay

2) friends that I can count on/talk to/actually care

3)a BED!

4)INTERNET

most importantly, a God that loves me, and one that I can love back with 100% assurance and trust. Like a McDonalds Cheezeburger.

Google.

those 6 letters never looked so fine 

Where do we go from here?

"Go, be free"


First week back in good ol' Melbourne. Updates!

Arrived at the apartment at 2am Thursday, crashed till morn.

Went to see my aunt, chatted and stayed over. Woke up for breakfast the next day (a rare occurance)

First OCF! Made new friends! So many new people (like 60% of the room yo) as usual DDWL made lotsa noise i mean COMPETITIVE SPIRIT SOUNDS during the icebreakers! :P We all are winners regardless.

Leaders retreat! Gave a new meaning to testing by fire, as it was 38 degrees + aircon didnt work. :O But the Lord is good and refreshed us all with the Word and also brought people together under His perfect plan. Wouldnt have traded the two days for anything, in fact it was too short!

Spent the next few days getting used to Melbourne again, life is good cause all I have to think about is shifting in, meeting people, what to cook for dinner, studying, making it for classes.

Gear will kick in after shifting in I guess. Its a new year, in more ways than one. :)

"But come back home to me."

Sometimes...

You must lose a fly to catch a fish.

Consistency

Luke 9:23. Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."


1) Wanting to be His disciple. Its a choice we make!

2) Deny themselves AND take up their cross daily and follow Him.

How important it is to be spiritual athletes who exercise consistently and practice self control over things like diet, time, and habits.

And what is our reward?

Joy.

Give It Up

the riot of emotions, the stormcloud of thoughts, the frenzy of feelings, the ceaseless battle between choices, the  mist of consequences, the chaos of decisions made, the clock that ticks closer and closer.

I lift to You.

Origami

Fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold.

*squints

"I don't see it."

"Carry on. Trust Me."

Fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold.

*Rrrrip!*

"Still dont see it, and my paper is torn."

"Here take mine, and I'll show you again this time."

Fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold.

*mutters

"Nope, I still don't see it."

"Why is this so hard?"

"Because you're folding with your hands, and not your heart."

fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold fold.

"Are You there?"

"Always."

"Will You help me please? I can't do it on my own."

"Here you go."

*fold.

Masterpiece.

V For Velociraptor

Today I drove back from work in a freak storm, and even though work is 5 minutes away, life is scary sometimes.

As I exited into the main road, in front of my blurred windshield the trees were all involved in some serious zumba moves as the rain raced as one horizontal curtain.

When suddenly, I noticed this big brown thing dropping off from the tree in front of me. Slammed on the brakes and thank God, it crashed on the road in front of my car. All I could think of was this, that had it been any other tree but a palm tree it would have meant serious trouble for me.

Although my life did not flash before my eyes, I guess it has made me wonder about Valentine's Day, I wonder if sometimes the message behind this day is garbled, for love should not have to survive on a beggarly meal of occasions and special days and playing it up only on these days (although we need reminders sometimes). Rather, love should be something that is worked on everyday, like a tree or a garden, it requires effort, time, and patience in order to bear fruit.

So here's to living Valentines day, everyday, to the special people around us, because sometimes we dont get to wait till that next official Valentines.

Baby It's Fact

we should all be true, the way black is black, and blue is just blue.

Secrets

so tell me what you want to hear, something that'll light these years,


Some captain obvious statements I came across,

"Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas." – Former Australian cabinet minister Keppel Enderbery


"If your parents never had children, chances are you won't either." – Dick Cavett


"Equal rights were created for everyone." – Contestant in 1990 Mr. New Jersey Male pageant


*badumdish.

On another note,


I think the mysterious is intriguing, and I guess I don't mind not knowing the answers, as long as I know I'll know when the time comes.

Ive got a secret I want to tell you,





Do you know what makes people happy? Happiness.

:D

Jigsaw

Well, I don't quite know where this piece fits.

Will it fill that space? What if its not mine to keep.

All I know, is that if you dont place it against the emptiness,

I guess you'll never know, and the jigsaw will never grow.

But for now, the joy is in holding the piece(peace).

So Tell Me

when did you last let your heart decide?

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!! 2012 is the year of the Dragon, Rawr! (Mushu says hello) Its been a bittersweet CNY, but what matters is that the family always sticks together. Heres to 2011, a great year in my books, and I know that 2012 will be even better!

On a side note, I really want a good internet connection so I can edit pictures with ease! (or someone please recommend me an cool easy to use photo editor as Piknik might be closing down in April) In relation to that. Im wondering if I should start posting some pics of things that are happening, like a real blog haha. what do you think? Wanna see pics?


Oh one other thing. I know for some of you it might actually be a bad thing, but I'm ecstatic that I gained weight! woohoo, lets hope it remains in the right places, and more to come please!




perhaps one score moons ago.

Melbourne in 3 weeks. :)

Your Move

convince me.

Figments

Steady now ol' chap.

you're on the right track

let me in

be the whisper

before the dreams

sing me something sweet

just to get me by the days

but.

I just manage

the ghost of a smile.

The Last Page

I rejoice at the ending, for my hopes are in the beginning of a new book.

I saw of the final chapter of suffering and I place my faith in the beginning of the joyful times.

I heard of the last whisper of defeat, and I wait for the triumphant call of victory.

Today, I felt the sorrow and pain around, but tomorrow there will be celebrations and festivities abound.

Verily, it is a time to mourn and grieve, but it is done, and soon it shall turn into happy remembrance and fond memories.

Even as the morning always comes after night, and even the desert thrives when the rain falls.

For what is darkness? It is merely the absence of light. Light but has to shine, and it is overcome.

RIP. :')

Confidence, or Arrogance?

I have been wondering, just where does the difference lie?

So heres my take on it, after reading up a little on what the Word says.

If you are confident,  I believe it means that you have stopped and evaluated or have gathered your resources, and the situation you're facing, and believe that with those resources, you will be able to face it. Thus, confidence is usually described or seen as being "calm, yet ready". There is one more point, but first, what is arrogance?

Arrogance, oh it is easy to fall into this pit of pride. Arrogance is the sweet notion that you will certainly be able to handle things on your own, it is the ego-food that looks at another and goes "I'm better". There are many more words of pride: "I deserved this", "You don't meet my standards", "I can do this on my own", "I dont need help". Even giving up is a form of pride. To be clear, there is a difference between letting go of something hurtful, and letting fear overcome your decisions.

That last point about confidence, is that there is a confidence in looking at yourself and going, hey, I can't do this alone, I need help. This is the kind of confidence that is not afraid to seek support, that realises what it takes to get things done, and pursues obtaining it.  But when you obtain it, do remember oh remember who enabled it. I think true confidence is, always humble. If that makes sense.

What do you guys think?

and as Brandon said, where do you draw the line?

Dont Turn Away

Why are you trying?

What are you looking for,

How will you find it?

To where will you run,

To whom do you turn to,

When will you see,

I AM by your side.

Kawan seperti Cawan

In relation to my previous post, I think that its great to know that no matter how far life takes us, you can count on the same ol' people to hold your ladder, or change your lightbulb with you.

In relation to the title, real friends are like cups or mugs, no matter how long they have been in the shelf, you know that when you take them out for a drink, you'll still find that they are the same.

Had, and have a good night. :)

It Takes Two

...Normal people to change the lightbulb. One to change it, and another is there to hold the ladder.

Okay I made that up, haha! but it does take two hands to clap, two feet to run, and to have a meaningful conversation, you kinda need two people talking to each other.


Irking as it is, sometimes life does gets in the way. Reality is, even with technology, time and distance doth tear people apart. And we just need to accept it, no? "Move on," they say, and "Why does it matter" we tell ourselves, and we get ourselves in a place where we just dont even try.

But, why not hang on to that lightbulb, till the person is free to hold your ladder, because more than the conversation, your relationship with that person is worth the wait and effort. Just keep trying, and as the saying goes, do unto others what you would them do unto you.

Heres to all who held up lightbulbs for me, thanks for waiting!

Goodnight. *unscrews lightbulb*

Talents

So I realised I hardly talk about myself here, haha and thats supposed to be the purpose of having a blog, no? :P But maybe I like leaving it up to you and me to find out more about each other. But maybe you need a preview, so if you laike, then you buy? But maybe, we just need to talk more and fight less, love more and think less, but maybe, things worked out, and will get better now. But maybe... :)

If you could have a talent give to you right now, (write, draw, dance, paint, play something, talk like a boss, tell jokes properly, combust spontaneously).

What will you choose?

For me, I think I want to have the natural ability to sing. Music is so important to me and I think its my major form of art-food, apart from photography. Plus music engages all the senses, (yes,even the guitar smells musical :D) and cause, well I find myself singing a song in my head all the time, but what comes out... ah, lets say its an acquired taste at the moment. So yeah, I hope I will be able to sing, or play the drums. Whichever comes first. :)

Once again,

What will you choose?

Oh the fallacy!

The world tells us how to think, how to run our lives, how we should behave.

I say, enough of being just another one of the many, saying the same things, wanting the same life, expecting the same things out of people, baseless stereotyping, and judging one another just because someone else said so, are we what the media or majority tells us to be?

I am not challenging the world's perception, but rather your perception. Remember to think for yourself, find the facts, submit and listen only to the right authorities, before accepting an opinion. For it is not truly your own, if you did not earn it in the first place. Be it culture, social, political or technological,  Be it religious, financial, economical, and yes, gossipical. :P Be it even our dreams for our own future, or in our daily conversations. Let us remember that we have our own mind, our personal stamp, our watermark. Use it, yes?

Ginourmously Unfanthomable

No long posts, means a busy and thinking hard season. Also,sometimes, I believe that thoughts should be put to action, not words. Cause talk is cheap, and I dont like to talk what I cant walk. But this I want to share, because sometimes words can mean all the difference between make, or break. Especially the Word of a Living God.


Isaiah 64:4
Since ancient times no one has heard, 
   no ear has perceived, 
no eye has seen any God besides you, 
   who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. 


1 Corinthians 2:9
 “What no eye has seen, 
   what no ear has heard, 
and what no human mind has conceived— 
   the things God has prepared for those who love him—"


v10:  these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.


Though some things we dont understand, though it seems so big in front of us. Yes Lord, there You are waiting behind it. Amen.

God is Good

Why do we only attribute the good things that happen in our lives to God's will? And yet when dark times befalls us we tend to lament and blame Him for not being there.

Isaiah 45:7

 I form the light and create darkness, 
   I bring prosperity and create disaster; 
   I, the LORD, do all these things.


Do you not see, that in times of unrest and uncertainty, He has created it also, that His mighty name is glorified?

Take heart, God isn't good only in the good times.God is good, all the time.