God Guides us ALL the Way.

What happens when we allow God to work in our everyday lives?


Step 1: Conviction

This is the state of awareness.
The Spirit slowly brings to light the secret sins of our hearts - big or little.
Through the study of scripture, daily interactions with the community of Christ, and trials & tribulations..., we start to become increasingly aware of the areas of our lives that need to be changed.
The Still Small Voice gets louder and louder until our hearts hurt SO BAD with the need to seek God's forgiveness - allow Him to change our lives and be healed.



Step 2: Confession

This is where we learn to be completely vulnerable.
It is being willing to show others the "true" you - the parts that are not perfect and sometimes even shameful.
In confessing our sins and struggles to our brothers and sisters, we share our journey in Christ, and deepen our relationships - challenging concepts that are taught theoretically in church - concepts of love and acceptance, grace and mercy.



Step 3: Construction

It doesn't end with confession.
After we have become aware of our ugliness, and our INTENSE NEED for a Saviour, and hence are able to admit this to the people we love and care about (even despite fear of rejection), we then must learn to take a hold of GRACE.
This is the same grace that our Lord extends to every single person - whether they know it or not, whether they have become aware of their need for it or not, and whether they are able to accept it or not.
However, it is when we are able to reach out and grab this generous offer of grace God gives that we truly OWN the healing that God works in our lives:

"While God accepts us as we are He doesn't leave us as we are."

But you see, that doesn't mean that we merely confess with our lips and then leave it to God to do all the work! While Christ has paid the price of salvation, and grace is offered to all, we are called as followers of Christ to TAKE UP OUR CROSS DAILY:

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."

Questions to ponder:

1. As a follower of Christ, how am I allowing God to break my life apart and consequently build me into the person that He wants me to be?
2. As a fellow believer, how can I react with love and grace when other people struggle with their sins? How can I be authentic in my interactions? - praying and loving Christ's lambs the way He would?
3. As a sinner seeing how I fall short of God's glory, how can I reach out for God's grace, accept the love and grace that might be given to me from the community of Christ, and have faith that God is weaving His beautiful masterplan in this unique tapestry of our lives?

Lord, may YOU be the moving force in our lives - that drives us to love and have mercy...., or that allows us to come before You with humble hearts and to stay in community with no shame, rather a common understanding of how we are all so alike and struggling together.

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."

Tonight's Bible Study - Mark 8:27-9:1

My notes/response/ponderings... about what the passage teaches us about Christ's identity and thus our spiritual walk with God:

1. Who is God?
2. What is He doing in my life / my world?
3. What does He ask me to do in response (to 1 and 2)?

And.... conversely...
1. What illusions do I hold about who God is?
2. What illusions do I hold about how He works in my life / this world?
3. Am I imposing my own ideas on what I think God is asking me to do, instead of simply obeying what He tells me to do?

Do I struggle and rebuke God when things don't go according to how I think they should go because I think I know how God should work?.... (Like Peter), and what is God teaching me about His character and HIS work - in relation to why I am here on earth?

The Call (Original)

The song that was born out of the crying mess God made of me this morning - when He planted the seed of sorrow for this world in me... and the burden to speak out against the silence - of the work that MUST be done.

The Call

Today I heard a man
He spoke of people suffering
Of little girls that fell prey to evil deeds of men.
I heard in lengthy details
And how the words pierced through my soul
I wept in silent agony, while my heart cried out, oh Lord!

What are we wasting our time on?
God, You’re calling us now
To be Your voice in this world
Your hands and Your feet as well
How can we sit so silently?
When the time to work is right now
Lord have mercy on us all
Open our ears to Your Call

I went home still shaken
By the message I had heard
Wanting to help in any way
But not quite knowing how.
Then I had to do my laundry
And those bills –they have to be paid!
I’ve so much already on my plate
I forgot what I had heard

What are we doing every day?
Living our comfortable lives
What about the urgency?
The workers are so few.
How can we quickly just forget
The vision God placed on our hearts
We should see the world with Kingdom eyes
And love Your children as You do

BR:
Heal our eyes that we might see
Heal our ears that we might hear
Our hearts must understand
The Call to serve You...

What are we wasting our time on?
God, you’re calling us now
To be Your voice in this world
Your hands and your feet as well
How can we sit so silently?
When the time to work is right now
Lord have mercy on us all
Open our ears to Your Call

We are your hands
We are your feet
We are Your servants
Lord send us!

~S. Written 0811209.

Don't forget those encouraging words...

What a lovely day.

I'm learning so much.
With a little help from Above, I'm learning to listen when I need to.
To give hugs when something nudges me to.
To ask people about their stories, and consequently become amazed at where they've come from.
To put my pride and hurt aside so that I can grow in my love for another.
To make the extra effort to get to know what lies beneath the surface.


Honestly, I'm feeling (more than) a little sentimental today.
In the last few weeks, and weeks to come, many of the most amazing connections I've made as a result of being a part of NewSong Bangkok... will change to long-distance connections.

Reflecting on where God has brought me, I'm simply amazed at how much He has taught me through other people in this community.

Everyone I've interacted with has an amazing story.
And everyone is a unique reminder of the character of God.
Yes, God will bring new people into my life (and into the lives of those who have left Bangkok), but each person I've gotten to know is SO special to me.
I cannot help but feel sad and sentimental....


Even today, hanging out with John and Cyndi, (I really wish we had done this earlier!) I was amazed and humbled by their stories.. but above all, their attitude of encouragement towards others and willingness to listen and learn,... and watch in awe at the works of God's hand!




It is now my prayer that I may also listen, encourage, and be in awe of the works of God in the lives of other people around me.

Praise, praise, praise be to God.
And GRACE and PEACE to those of you who must leave Bangkok.
I love you, and will continue to pray for you.

A Lamp to my Feet and a Light to My Path

How sweet the wisdom of Your words.
What peace Your understanding brings.
How great Your mercies...
... My lips can find no words.

of joy
of grace.



Gentleness....
As I stood shouting at the noisy students in my classroom, I was quietly chastised.

Handle them gently.
Just as I do you.

Yes, there are times for tough love.
But there are also times for gentleness and patience.



I delight in Your Word.
Bless us all with Your sweet grace and discernment.
Oh Lord, I pray for Your blessings.
More, we cry... more!

And then....
Who will go?
Send me!!!

Oceans Apart But United in Prayer

I stopped writing my lesson plans and bowed my head to pray.

I know of 2 friends who are hurting and searching... and my heart aches for them.
As I was praying, I heard a sound - the bleep of a gtalk msg.
It was a friend from the States.

So I asked him to pray too.
I had also (just a few minutes before almost praying, myself) Twittered and Blipped this:
Prayer is a wheel that never ends. Praying specially for some friends who are hurting. Please pray too. ♫ http://blip.fm/~3dnul

And in response, 1 person from Twitter, and 1 person on Blip prayed too. (The person on Blip even re-Blipped my Blip, and I'm sure there were a few other people I didn't know praying too)



So for those few minutes that I bowed my head, sitting alone in my classroom, I was not alone - there was a collective prayer rising from the earth like incense to the heavens.

By faith, I know that God has heard and will answer our prayers.


Amen!

Like a Kid on Christmas Morning...

Yesterday afternoon, I arrived home after work tired, hot and sweaty.

But waiting in my apartment for me were...

• My snazzy new fridge
• Plush gold curtains
• A washing machine! (downstairs)

How nice!
I spent whatever time I could quickly rearranging and organizing whatever I could... but soon had to leave for a meeting.


All smiles though.
Things are beginning to come together.
Thank God!
Last week was pretty lousy - having to move by yourself is no easy business... but the Lord provided helping hands towards the last part of my move.
Otherwise I'd have gone bonkers.
Seriously.



With work and church activities, I expect to be "actually done" with my apartment hopefully by this weekend.

After that, please do ring my bell anytime! (Ok, maybe not when I'm sleeping...)

What I'm busy with at the moment...

Been making quite a few lists lately.
Here's another:

Things to do this week:

• Finish unpacking, organizing and cleaning new apartment
  
• Be nice to my kids
• Start and finish this month's Class Newsletter
• Attend Fuel meeting
• Smile at my kids more
  
• Lead worship at Fuel on Wed
• Meet with parents
• Do lesson plans for next 2 -3 weeks
• Tell my kids I'm proud of them
  
• Plan Song Kran beach trip to Phuket (YEAH!!)
• Attend Thai Language & Culture workshop (part 2)
• Spend more down time in The Word
• Go for at least 1 run in the park
• Watch the breeze in the trees
• Prepare for Class Award ceremony

Funny... before I wrote that list, felt like I had tons to do... but really, I have only a few things... NOT! Some of those are really quite big jobs that take a long time. Eg: Class Newsletter=hours of cross-eyedness. Heh.

Oh well.

It's all good. Very good. :)

Perfect Love

I've learned a lot this last week.
Just wanna jot down and share quickly before I turn in for the night.

• Grace and peace is not something that can be fought/strived for... rather it can only be given from God when we completely surrender.
• We need to be grounded in The Word. Especially when circumstances and situations throw us a loop. The only constant is Him.
• Be open and reach out to others. In return, you will receive and be blessed abundantly!
• STOP kicking against the prick!! --> Often we fight against the very thing(s) we need when all we really need to do is to let go and turn over the wheel to God. He can do so much more with our "problems" - they are His anway... He OWNS them! (and they're not problems anyway but blessings because we learn and grow the most from them...)
  
• We fight and kick against the prick because we are ridiculously afraid.... Afraid of rejection, afraid of loneliness, afraid of failure... basically afraid that our greatest fears will come true - that we are worthless and unworthy of others' effort and love.
• BUT... God's perfect love can cast out that fear - in His love we find that our fears are ungrounded - because of His all-encompassing, incomprehensible love, we are worth way, way, waaaaay more than we can ever imagine!!

Once again, He has found me.

I am amazed and cannot be more grateful - I am blessed.
(chok dee mak mak!! OK, that doesn't really mean blessed... more like lucky... but a salesman said that to me today and I did feel incredibly blessed at that point. So am thinking that being blessed is pretty akin to being lucky! Heh.)