Desiring God????

I'm still learning how to desire God. It's a lifetime process....
It gets hard to know God from time to time... Oh yeah...He's either unpredictable or we just can't accept what He is doing in our lives.......etc etc

The purpose of this post is simply just to introduce a website which I find is very "educational" for those who wanna grow in their understanding of God and His Word.
John Piper really challenges us according to God's Word and makes you think....
He's not a feel good teacher of the Word...yes u can get encouragement but I personally feel we need people like him to rebuke and remind us of the ways of God.
http://www.desiringgod.org/


The latest sermon I heard (after a long time not vissiting the site) is entitled "Don't be anxious, lay up treasure in heaven,Part 2" U can read the summary and download the audio sermon. I'd recommend you to download it coz faith comes by hearing the Word of God and that the summary can't really challenge you.
Stop downloading pirated stuff for once..and download something good for ur soul....;p
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2003/128_Dont_Be_Anxious_Lay_Up_Treasure_in_Heaven_Part_2/
It was really a good reminder and rebuke for me....U gotta listen to it to get what i mean...
I had to replay certain parts a few times coz I couldn't get what he was saying or it was so good that I had to hear it again...
For example:
"be careful not to elevate your pain and the monster in your life to the level where Jesus doesn't know what He is talking about and that His remedies and prescriptions and reasons are USELESS to you" at time 34.20 in his sermon.

"He wants to teach you what it is to have father. The bible is never dependent on human analogies that we experience. He want to come and say,"you had a bad father? I'll show what a father is supposed to be" at time 38.15

Honestly,I wouldn't listened to this sermon if i didn't Google to find out what verse had "laying up treasure in heaven". So, I was not super holy or desired God so much till i decided to learn more by listening to sermon after sermon....I believe and thank God that I stumbled upon this message coz i really needed it...

Do you realise that when Jesus said that if we seek God's Kingdom first,all these things shall be added unto us, these things refers to what we need but not what we want? We tend to get disappointed when we don't get what we want from God but do we really need everything we asked or hope for? God does give us what we want from time to time but does He have to do that always?

Haih...i don't even know why i wrote this long... as u can see on top i wrote that it was simply just to introduce that website....hahaha

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Imperfect Heroes

This is a simple but interesting article to read from
http://www.christianitytoday.com/cl/2007/005/1.26.html

Imperfect Heroes
All Heroic Movie Characters have something holding them back.
by Tom WP Kapr

I love to tag along on amazing adventures with great heroes. However, the funny thing I've noticed about movie heroes—like Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker, and Harry Potter—is that they aren't perfect. They, like any of us, have flaws and weaknesses. Despite their shortcomings, however, these heroes overcome their weakness to become something more. This is what makes them so interesting to watch. It allows us imperfect people to relate to them. If they can do it, we think, so can I.
Imperfect heroes aren't just in the movies. The heroes of the Bible also aren't perfect..............




Imperfect Heroes
All Heroic Movie Characters have something holding them back.
by Tom WP Kapr


I love to tag along on amazing adventures with great heroes. However, the funny thing I've noticed about movie heroes—like Indiana Jones, Luke Skywalker, and Harry Potter—is that they aren't perfect. They, like any of us, have flaws and weaknesses. Despite their shortcomings, however, these heroes overcome their weakness to become something more. This is what makes them so interesting to watch. It allows us imperfect people to relate to them. If they can do it, we think, so can I.

Imperfect heroes aren't just in the movies. The heroes of the Bible also aren't perfect (well, except for Jesus). From Abraham to the Apostle Paul, the great figures of faith were real people with flaws of their own, but God worked through them despite their issues. In fact, God often shaped them—through their flaws—into the heroes they were. Why? Because his power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The flawed heroes from Scripture are so much like those in the cinema that I found similar pairs of heroes who all faced—and overcame—five common weaknesses.

Flaw #1: Deceitfulness
Captain Jack Sparrow and Jacob (Genesis 25-50) share a major character flaw: They're both tricksters who exploit the needs and emotions of others to get what they want. The Pirates of the Caribbean captain is an opportunist whose motto is, "Take all you can! Give nothing back!" Not a very heroic motto. And Jacob's very name means "he grasps the heel," a phrase indicating he's a deceiver who takes advantage of others. Jacob took advantage of his older brother Esau's hunger in order to get Esau to sell him his inheritance. Then, he tricked his blind father into giving him Esau's blessing.

When those he was manipulated turned the tables on him, Jack Sparrow's deceptions came back around to bite him (literally—he was eaten by the kraken!). Likewise, Jacob was tricked into marrying the wrong woman. Both Jack and Jacob's deceptions backfired, and both of them consequently had to pay heavy punishments for their treachery.

In the end, both men were redeemed. Jack sacrificially saved his friends, freed the Caribbean of a tyrant, and was regarded as a hero. So, too, we remember Jacob as a hero of our faith. He humbly sought his brother's forgiveness and depended on God alone.

Flaw #2: Fear
In The Incredibles, Violet is a shy, insecure teenager who fears rejection by her peers. Being the daughter of Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, she has inherited her own super-trait: Turning invisible at will. Her invisibility symbolizes her desire to avoid being seen because she fears attention—especially from the boy she likes. She's afraid of rejection and worried that she's not worth much so she stays quiet and unseen. Eventually, she has to overcome her fears with courage to become the heroine she is meant to be.

There's a young girl in Bible times very much like Violet. Through a series of fateful circumstances, Esther became the queen of Persia. Years later, she learned of a plot to destroy the Jews, but she was afraid to go to her husband, the king. In those times, anyone who went before the king without permission could be put to death. Esther overcame her fear when Mordecai helped her realize she could not remain silent. In fact, he said, she'd "come to royal position for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14, NIV). She did go to the king, spoke her mind and was spared. Her heroic act saved the entire Jewish nation from annihilation, much like Violet's courage helped save the world. (The only difference is that Violet had to fight giant robots.)

Flaw #3: Pride
In Cars, Lightning McQueen is a rookie taking the racing world by storm. The only thing bigger than Lightning's celebrity status is his ego. He has no pit crew chief; he doesn't see the need for one since he's calling the shots. He can't even think of a single friend to invite to the biggest race of his career. Lightning has a character flaw obvious to everyone but himself: pride. When stuck in the little town of Radiator Springs, he discovers there's an entire beautiful world beyond both the racetrack and himself.

Simon Peter could be considered Jesus' right-hand man during the Messiah's time on Earth, but his pride seemed in constant conflict with the spirit of Jesus' ministry. Peter took great pride in his own self-perceived strength. He even went so far as to say to Jesus in Luke 22:33, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death" (NIV).

"I tell you, Peter," replied Jesus, "before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me" (Luke 22:34, NIV).

Proverbs 16:18 says that pride leads to destruction, and Peter became a living example of this truth. Lightning McQueen's pride kept him from knowing friendship; Peter's pride caused him to turn his back on his best friend. But both were humbled and both discovered what's important in life. As for Peter, he would go on to become one of the greatest evangelists who ever walked the earth.

Flaw #4: Anger
In Spider-Man, Harry Osborn blames Spider-Man for his father's death. He wants revenge. His anger consumes him. In the second movie, he discovers Spider-Man is his best friend Peter Parker. But that doesn't stop his rage. Peter has to pay for what he did, Harry thinks. In Spider-Man 3, he's dead-set upon revenge—if not by killing Peter, then at least by stripping him of happiness.

Harry is like Jonah (Jonah 1-4). The fish-eaten prophet was chosen by God to deliver a message to the sinful people of Nineveh: The city would be destroyed in 40 days unless they repented. Jonah delivered the message, but was all for Nineveh's destruction. Like Harry, he wanted the guilty to get what was coming to them. He got himself a place to sit with a view of the city so that he could see the destruction firsthand. But when the people of Nineveh repented, God showed compassion and spared them. This made Jonah really mad. His anger burned. Both Harry's and Jonah's anger blinded them from seeing what really mattered: compassion, forgiveness, truth and mercy. God showed Jonah he had no right to be angry. In Spider-Man 3, Harry's anger subsided in the face of truth, compassion and forgiveness. He realized his mistake, put aside his anger, and became Peter's indispensable ally.

Flaw #5: A Dark Past
Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings is a lot like Moses in Exodus. Both Moses and Aragorn were in self-imposed exile, trying to escape dark pasts. In The Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn is heir to a throne. But his rightful throne was tarnished by the power-hungry legacy of his ancestor, King Isildur. When asked why he's afraid of his forefather's legacy, Aragorn says, "The same blood flows in my veins—the same weakness." He fears the past will repeat itself. But Aragorn does eventually overcome the shadow of the past. He rises up, becomes king, and delivers his people from the forces of darkness.

In Exodus 2, Moses also exiles himself, but because of his own past. He killed an Egyptian he had witnessed beating an Israelite. In Exodus 3, God speaks to Moses and tells him to return to Egypt and deliver the Israelites out of Pharaoh's hand. Moses is afraid. Like Aragorn, his past weakens him. He seems to try any excuse he can think of not to go, but like Aragorn, he eventually overcomes his fears and delivers his people from bondage.

Once again, a flawed human becomes a great hero—thanks only to God. In fact, all of these great stories point out the basic truth that we all have flaws to contend with. But they also point to another truth. With God working in us, we too can overcome and be heroes.

Now What?

• Think about your favorite movie or TV heroes. What are their flaws? What makes them heroic in spite of their shortcomings?

• In 2 Corinthians 12:9, God tells the Apostle Paul: "My power is strongest when you are weak" (CEV). What do you think that means? What things hold you back?

• How could God's power be displayed by your specific weaknesses?

• Study 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 with your small group. Look for specific ways this passage applies to your own weaknesses that don't seem to go away.


Copyright © 2007 by the author or Christianity Today International/Ignite Your Faith magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Ignite Your Faith.
November/December 2007, Vol. 66, No. 5, Page 26
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What would you say? Part 1

Someone(whom i will call W) replied to a post by J after he wrote bout his struggles as a Christian etc..etc
Here's what W said:

MY mom is a Catholic, my father is a Taoist and my wife is a Buddhist.. i am a free thinker....
I dun have any problem with three kind of thinking in my family...I go along wherever that needs me...Chinese New year i go temple

to pray...i pray at home...and Christmas i go to church and pray...
I 'd study all the religion...they have good point and some blur point... Not all are correct...but they share one common thing...dun do
bad things...No forcing...Be humble...Take it easy...
In the end of the day, i would said, anything that makes ur life feel better, that is good enough...

I believe, as christian, the "God" that u believe will want you to be happy, will want ur family to be happy....right?
??+???will only makes life difficult....

Do read and evaluate my reply. Do give give ur opinions too. After i read my reply again, i felt did not reply properly enough..anyway..what has been said can't be taken back and can only be corrected.


And here is my reply to W.

Hi ,
i hope u dun mind me commenting on what u wrote above. U may hv heard these "rubbish" b4 but do bear with me.

Firstly, Christianity is totally different from other religions. It is a RELATIONSHIP with God.u know ...boyfriend girlfriend,mother,father,family members...they people who are in relationship with us...we talk to them, go through happy and sad times with
them...etc...in other words...they are ALIVE....they communicate....etc
A relationship can change anyone's life forever....this relationship with the God who loves us can change your life too

Next, there is only one God, who created all of us and the earth,universe..etc

U said all religions share "one common thing"....well...Think about this...A person robs and gives the money to his family for food allowance. Another person works and gives the money to his family for food allowance. The "one common thing" is they supply money for the family. So, are they both the same?

You said:"In the end of the day, i would said, anything that makes ur life feel better, that is good enough..."
Jesus did promise to give us love joy and peace. But he also said we will face trials(problems) and persecution(hated by ppl who don't accept christianity).
Therefore,when a person becomes a christian, he or she should be reacy to face such things....Jesus didn't promise us a good life on earth...He came to save us so that we could go to heaven...Do u know where you are going afer u die? u may say i dun
care....then we might as well commit suicide when we can't take it anymore...BTW,those who do so, go to hell coz they took their
own lives when God didn't permit it.

Finally u said"I believe, as christian, the "God" that u believe will want you to be happy, will want ur family to be happy....right?"
happiness is very subjective....Recall or imagine a mother who disallows her son to go out late. He must be back by 12midnite...that boy told his mom he would not be happy and couldn't enjoy himself if he comes back so early....BUT..mom doesn't care...she wants her son to be happy but she will not allow him to do whatever he wants....the boy gets frustrated and unhappy....
Same thing with God,He loves us and wants us to be happy but He doesn't always let us do watever we want...there are rules to follow...whether we can understand or not....

If you forget everything i mentioned...Just remember one thing...one day when all hope is gone or u face problems...remember there

a God out there who is waiting to receive u and love u...

Coming up...part 2...things get more complicated....

.

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23

Here’s what I did slightly before, on and slightly after my 23rd birthday.
CAUTION...its gonna be long...take ur time.....hehe

Its 4am (23aug08) as I’m typing this…just couldn’t wait till tomoro..I feel so STONE now….

It was after 10pm dee(Thurs,21aug)…I was so “STONE” trying to do my tutorials. I kind of expected a call from S anytime soon. And so the call came……”oh man…I still can’t do these tutorial questions….argh!!! “ K fetched us out to Murni…

It was bout 10.30pm if I was not mistaken that we reached Murni….
While S and K were busy chatting most of the time, I watched the Olympics highlights on Astro…I did talk “a bit” from time to time we took turns talking bout our first crush la,…etc…..
Most of the time I was just laughing and enjoying the jokes and stories from S and K.

Then K had to meet his “semi” coz she was sick….So he left us at Murni at 12.40am…
I ended up chatting with S while enduring the 2nd hand smoke….we chat all sorts of whatever la…then at 2.40am, K came back with his “semi”, P. She was sneezing and blowing her nose due to cold but that didn’t stop her from “STONING” with us for the rest of the nite…

The nite continued with stories and jokes (accompanied by random acts and sounds from K), with occasional questions thrown at me because I was the birthday boy and I was too quiet…. And not to forget some lame jokes from me from time to time….So we STONEd on till Murni closed….have u done that b4?

Then we walked around to 7 eleven and then to the car and then to McDs. There we did the same thing as we did at Murni…..I can’t remember anymore actually…

We decided to sleep in the car do regain some energy for Dim Sum. So the car was parked in front of the Dim Sum shop while we slept from bout 6.20am till after 7am…Then we stormed into the Dim Sum shop…somehow P was the most energetic at that time…So it was the same thing again…stories, jokes and a little gossip bout someone( sorry God ) actually I dunno who the person is la…her name was never mentioned..I was just listening and commenting from time to time…
If I’m not mistaken, we refilled the chrysanthemum teapot 7 times(which later caused me problems when I was sleeping coz I had to wake up 3 times to go to the toilet)….. We left the shop at about 9.30am….S had to teach tuition at 11am and K had to work at 2pm…crazy la..They’re gonna be so STONE…

All in all, it was fun to watch 3 of these ppl talk…..and to talk with them of coz….

Next,,,tidur ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz

After bangun, felt so STONE….suppose to study but no mood…

U know wat….I had a free gift from Hotlink ,which was I get to call all Maxis numbers on my birthday for FREE…yes…FREE.

I was so STONE and blur … My excuses were: don’t know what to say….malu…some ppl are working…the ppl I wanted to call are DIGI customers….no mood…

I ended up watching The Game Plan…then chat with my mom using MSN…..actually I was listening to her stories most of the time…

Then it was dinner time….I ate alone at 4th college..so “chharmmm”…it was only then (after 8pm) that I decided to use my FREE calls….I started calling who I felt I should call….then only I started Alphabetically…

I used the same lines for almost every call “Hi…you why I suddenly called u? coz I get to call all Maxis numbers for free today..only today…u know why? ………………………………… Coz its my birthday!”
Most ppl didn’t know bout such a gift by Hotlink….Only 1 person immediately said “Oh,its ur birthday!”

As time went by, my confidence grew…and I got heated up…I just wanted to call more ppl…. But TIME WAS RUNNING OUT…..I called ppl whom I hv never talked with for more than a year, ppl whom see quite often but never talk to, ppl who have graduated, etc etc…

At the “G” list I called a fren who then suggested we go out to do the tutorials I couldn’t do…I agreed…

While waiting for that fren, I continued to call ppl. It was 11pm already when I only reached “H….then at 11.30pm….that fren reached college already but I was still talking…aiyo… I was not done…. Jgn la potong steam….

That fren,ended up bringing me for bday supper….On the way to the makan place..I was still busy trying to accomplish as many calls as possible….

I just finished the K list at 11.58pm…I had to make a final call…so I called this fren from the P list….I missed a few numbers I would have called b4 P if had the time …but I had quickly choose someone to call….at the end this P fren offered to bake me a cake…wat liau…malu la….but cannot say no rite…

Aiyo…I really regret not calling earlier…..sob…. so i failed to accomplish my target...

After chatting and makan, that “G” list fren brought me to 9th coll to do the tutorials I couldn’t do on my own….I was half STONE but at least I could understand what he taught me…it was after 3am that we could not tahan staring at Maths anymore….

Then balik tak tidur lagi….main facebook and typed this experience into Word ,then tried to add the "read more" feature into my blog, which worked....

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a pic worth a thousand words

"A picture worth a thousand words. Please look at Lee Chong Wei and Misbun Sidek hugging. Examine it with clear mind and pure heart. Hopefully, their partnership will win gold for our Merdeka Day and further break racist wall that divide us for a long time."

taken from http://blog.thestar.com.my/permalink.asp?id=16620 , an article by a Malay guy bout the UiTm issue. Its a good article to read.

It took me a while to find that pic.....This "hug" has been quite a hot topic in blogs. I hope we all learn something from it.

Of coz, Chong Wei didn't win the Gold, but what matters was both Misbun and Chong Wei showed us how true Malysians should be like....

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sick...

It started out as a sorethroat on tues and now it has developed into cough,body ache, headache, and slight fever...the cough and the headache are the irritating ones...

There goes my plan to "study" during this sem break....Ya i know i still hv time....hope that i can recover in time.....

Btw,i watched Wall-E, i dunno why but i just felt that it was ok only....story was ok only la...i couldn't give any comments....everyone else especially the gals, liked it i guess....

The only thing that was good and creative was the animation and graphics....

Maybe i was feeling a bit sick and couldn't enjoy it...

So far only Dark Knight and Ah Long Ptd Ltd are the best ......

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Moving people to the right >>>

The purple portion below is taken from http://musiquemer.blogspot.com , a blog by Lim Tse Hwei, a junior taking Law who just entered UM. It's a small part from a message by Dr Living Lee, our PKV advisor. This small part was encouraging and was in fact the only thing i kept with me till now. i wanted to blog bout it but was too lazy and busy. She did a good summary so i asked her for permission to post a portion of it.

BTW, u know how i got her blog address? I don't even know her.

I was "too free" and i Googled the word PKVUM. I looked tru the blogs in the results and stumbled upon hers.

She herself doesn't know me and wouldn't be able to recognize me. The only thing she knows bout me is that i wore an Orange t-shirt in the MSK video i made in which i appeared at the ending.

Here's the portion:

" "We're always inviting our friends to come to church, come to this event, come to PKV, come for cell group, and when they don't, we get all disappointed and we think we're failures. In a sense, you are. Because Jesus said to go. Most of us these days are just trying to get people to come."

Ooook. Aku tercucuk. Although I got go a bit also.

Next, he present this diagram (don't have original copy, so please make do with the pirated version):
"None of my friends came to know Christ when I was in school, or in university. I used to feel like a failure. Is there something wrong with the way I live my life? Is it my testimony? But when I was first presented with this diagram, the person who showed it to me said that evangelism is moving people to the right. Some of your friends may be openly hostile or indifferent when you first tell them about the Gospel. It's okay. You know, whenever we gather for university reunions, I find that most of my friends are now Christians, and even leaders in the church. Just because you haven't done the harvesting, doesn't mean you're a failure." "

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