happy holidays

frost in york (taken on 12 dec)

my schedule has been quite packed (which is not a bad thing) since - in fact, before - i got back last sun, but then there's always some kind of work to be done anyway.

i made it back in time for the last 3 (out of 4) days of sky camp 2007. amidst all the fun and games, it was great to see how everyone has grown spiritually over the past 3 months. one body, many parts. the last worship service/ss/sky of 2007 this sun will be a fitting time to reflect on how God has brought all of us through a weird and wonderful year. on a personal note, 2007 has probably been the most significant year of my life (thus far) - intellectually, emotionally and spiritually.

i also enjoyed carolling with the rest of the kprbc carollers last sat and watching our Christmas musical yesterday. i pray that the lives of the people we were reaching out to would be touched by these events. some of the songs were really moving and i'm going to bring a few scores back to york with me.

finally, this Christmas was when lemuel got baptised. it's always nice to be back for Christmas and i'm glad i came back for Christmas this year, but it would be something new to experience Christmas overseas as well. maybe next year.

the calling: the greatest gift of our lives

As little children, we would dream of Christmas morn
Of all the gifts and toys we knew we'd find
But we never realised a baby born one blessed night
Gave us the greatest gift of our lives

We were the reason that He gave His life
We were the reason that He suffered and died
To a world that was lost He gave all He could give
To show us the reason to live

the response: the greatest gift of our lives

What can we give, that You have not given?
What do we have, that is not already Yours?
All we possess are these lives we're living
And that's what we give to you Lord

it's intriguing how reading the same phrase in two different ways can conjure up separate implications. no matter, the Christmas story comes down to the birth of Christ to save us from our sins. in the light of this glorious truth, what do you bring to the party when you celebrate Christmas?

Christmas isn't Christmas, till it happens in your heart
Somewhere deep inside you, is where Christmas really starts
So give your heart to Jesus, you'll discover when you do
That it's Christmas, really Christmas, for you

knowing and doing

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 7:21 (NIV)

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does." - James 1:22-25 (NIV)

faith and deeds

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder.

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." - James 2:14-26 (NIV)

by faith

"By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death." - Hebrews 11:17-19 (NIV)

"By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient." - Hebrews 11:31 (NIV)

"These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." - Hebrews 11:39-40 (NIV)

knowing and doing. faith and deeds. the power of cross-referencing.

if you know you should be doing something, why not do it? if you know you should be doing something and don't do it, do you truly know? if you know you shouldn't be doing something, why do it? if you know you shouldn't be doing something and do it, do you truly know? ultimately, knowing and doing are just different sides of the same coin.

"Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." - James 4:17 (NIV)

the head and the heart

if you know something in your head, you will also know it in your heart. if you know something in your heart, you will also know it in your head. if you truly know something in both your head and your heart, you will also do it.

sometimes you're led by emotion, and sometimes by reason, but as long as you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind - and seek to do His will - emotion and reason will eventually converge and centre on the path He has prepared for you in advance.

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." - Psalm 37:4 (NIV)

the conclusion of the matter

run with perseverance. turn your eyes upon Jesus. away with all doubt!

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)

like a runner in a relay, the best (in fact, the only) way to pass on the baton of faith is to receive it, hold on to it and run with it in the first place. if you would hand over things like guard duties properly (unless you wouldn't), how much more would you hand over the baton of faith with integrity!

the following two songs make an excellent medley, both musically and meaningfully.

Find Us Faithful

We're pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us, let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through Godly lives

Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find

Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey...

Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful

Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful!

We Shall Stand

Through the years God has sustained us
By His word He has ordained us
To be servants in this holy place

When to trials we are subjected
In His hand we'll be protected
By the power of His love and grace

So we shall stand, although the winds of change may blow
Because our Lord is ever with us, this we know
And as we press toward the prize
We come to realise
We are God's church, and through the years
We shall stand

We will build on work of others
Of our fathers and our mothers
We will share the message loud and clear

When our time has been and ended
May it be as God intended
That we pass this faith we hold so dear

So we shall stand, although the winds of change may blow
Because our Lord is ever with us, this we know
And as we press toward the prize
We come to realise
We are God's church, and through the years
We shall stand

Then one blessed glorious day
We shall hear our Saviour say
Enter in, my child, your work is done

Then together round his throne
We'll praise God, and God alone
With one voice we'll sing for victory's won

So we shall stand, although the winds of change may blow
Because our Lord is ever with us, this we know
And as we press toward the prize
We come to realise
We are God's church, and through the years
We shall stand
We are God's church, and through the years
We shall stand

Yes, we shall stand!

away with all doubt!

whenever you take your eyes off Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith, doubt starts to creep into your consciousness and take over your thoughts. doubt over your salvation. doubt over your future. even doubt over what you have in front of you.

stop doubting and believe

"Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"

But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."" - John 20:24-29 (NIV)

believe and not doubt

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." - James 1:5-8 (NIV)

do not lose heart

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." - 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NIV)

"Therefore we do not lose heart... So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." - Hebrews 10:23 (NIV)

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." - Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

it's easy to walk by sight, but the righteous will live by faith. if you're nothing without some (earthly) thing, you're nothing even with it. to take this a step further, if you won't serve the Lord without some (earthly) thing, you won't serve the Lord even with it.

before you're able to hold on to something, you must be able to let go of everything. are you able to let go of everything?

turn your eyes upon Jesus

God works in wondrous ways. i've just got back from sky camp (more on this another time) and it's fascinating how different verses in different settings join with different experiences to reveal different parts in the body of spiritual truth.

who/what are your eyes fixed on?

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

a new hope

the strike is only partial. happy holidays!

the empire strikes back

it looks like my stopover in paris (i'm going to visit vania for a few days before coming home) is going to be affected by the planned metro strike on wed (rail workers are going on strike over sarkozy's pension reform plans), but instead of feeling bad about it i'll try to adopt a more philosophical approach.

boasting about tomorrow

"Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." - James 4:14 (NIV)

this was the verse which came to my mind when vania first told me about the strike. treasure what you have, but never take anything forgranted. like the athlete who is completely consumed with winning the gold medal, if you're nothing without some (earthly) thing, you're nothing even with it.

slaves and masters

"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favour when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favouritism with him." - Ephesians 6:5-9 (NIV)

i can't really comment on french domestic politics, but i don't see how either party (the government or the rail workers) is going to benefit from the current situation. for that matter, it doesn't look like either party is going to budge either. a real prisoners' dilemma.

one body, many parts

"Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honourable we treat with special honour. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honour to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it." - 1 Corinthians 12:14-26 (NIV)

even on a secular level, it is literally crippling if the different parts of the same body refuse to work together for the common good. in the social contract, rousseau observes that 'the undertakings which bind us to the social body are obligatory only because they are mutual; and their nature is such that in fulfilling them we cannot work for others without working for ourselves'.

each footballer on (or off) the pitch has a part to play; each piece on (or off) the chessboard has a part to play; each soldier on (or off) the battlefield has a part to play. the one who is "less presentable" should not say that he does not belong to the body, but instead support the one who is "more presentable". on the other hand, the one who is "more presentable" should not say that he does not need the one who is "less presentable", but instead acknowledge his support.

on our part, we are not to judge the other parts of the body we belong to, but instead to examine whether we ourselves are doing our part.

judging others

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." - Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV)

"Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you - who are you to judge your neighbour?" - James 4:11-12 (NIV)

"Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"

Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." Because of this, the rumour spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?"" - John 21:20-23 (NIV)

give thanks

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

above all, i'm thankful that my stopover in paris is on in the first place and that i'm coming home for christmas - hopefully! i'm going to pray about it and trust that whatever the case, it'll all work out eventually.

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

the best is yet to be!

run with perseverance

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)

the christian life is a journey of faith revealed in different chapters, each leading on to the next. on one level, we are called to build upon the work of our predecessors, just as the apostles carried on the work of Christ and timothy continued the work of paul. on another, we are also called to discern God's will for our lives - to continue to work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in [us] to will and to act according to his good purpose (Philippians 2:12-13).

the point is not that the two (building upon the work of our predecessors based on things which happen around us and discerning God's will for our lives based on things which happen to us) are contradictory (they're not), but rather that they illuminate each other. we come to realise the significance of things which happen around us through the things which happen to us and vice versa.

the race marked out for us is simultaneously God's plan for humanity and God's plan for our lives. it is through the race marked out for us that our faith is authored and perfected by the author and perfecter of our faith. to this end, your present commitments pave the way for your future commitments, being held together by the real bond.

now that i've more or less settled into my new environment at york, i'm looking forward to going home for christmas and coming back in jan. in terms of my upcoming commitments, next year is going to be quite challenging but also very exciting. i'm going to be a small group leader in james cu as well as a member of the international team (which organises outreach events for international students) on the main cu. it'll be a unique blend of having fellowship with other believers vs reaching out to non-believers, leading on my own vs working as a team and interacting with local students vs meeting other international students.

if a human author would plot the different chapters of a novel down to the last detail, how much more would the author and perfecter of our faith be with us and watch over us in the different chapters of our lives!

the end of one chapter, the beginning of another. where do we go from here?

where do you want to go today (or tomorrow)?

"Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." - James 4:13-17 (NIV)

When I stand at the judgment seat of Christ
And He shows me His plan for me
The plan of my life as it might have been
Had He had His way, and I see

How I blocked Him here and checked Him there
And I would not yield my will
Shall I see grief in my Saviour's eyes
Grief though He loves me still?

Oh, He'd have me rich, and I stand there poor
Stripped of all but His grace
While memory runs like a hunted thing
Down the paths I can't retrace

Then my desolate heart will well-nigh break
With tears that I cannot shed
I'll cover my face with my empty hands
And bow my uncrowned head

No! Lord of the years that are left to me
I yield them to Thy hand
Take me, make me, mould me
To the pattern Thou hast planned!

- Author Unknown

atheism on offer

either borders is having trouble getting rid of its stock, or it thinks people will buy them for others this christmas (or both).

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone will I glory
Though I could pride myself in battles won
For I've been blessed beyond measure
And by His strength alone I overcome

Oh, I could stop and count successes
Like diamonds in my hands
But those trophies could not equal
To the grace by which I stand

In Christ alone I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope
Is Christ alone

In Christ alone will I glory
For only by His grace I am redeemed
And only His tender mercy
Could reach beyond my weakness to my need

Now I seek no greater honour
Than just to know Him more
And to count my gains but losses
To the glory of my Lord

In Christ alone I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope...

In Christ alone I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope
Is Christ alone

My source of strength
My source of hope
Is Christ alone