December 2011
61 posts
10 tags
faithfulness
“For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.” (Psalm 33:4 ESV) “Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:3-4 ESV)  “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them...
Dec 31st
12 notes
1 tag
“Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should...”
– (Galatians 6:1-2 ESV)
Dec 31st
2 notes
1 tag
New year resolutions for 2012
Books of the bible to read in detail: Deuteronomy, Jeremiah, 1-2 Thessalonians, Matthew, Hebrews Fruit of the spirit joy (2009), gratefulness (2010), gentleness (2011), faithfulness (2012) Write more prayers, poems and hymns of worship
Dec 31st
1 tag
2011
This year has been a year of:  gentleness (Gal 6:1-2) personal ministry and discipleship intergenerational relationship putting one’s self out there and suffering heartache serving others crucifying hopes and dreams What have I learnt about God? God is bigger than I can limit Him, He is a great and sovereign King God is attracted to our brokenness because it makes us dependent on...
Dec 31st
3 tags
Dec 29th
5 notes
1 tag
“So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the...”
– (Jeremiah 38:6 ESV)
Dec 27th
5 tags
Bible reading plans for 2012 →
December 30, 1842, Robert Murray M’Cheyne at age 29 MY DEAR FLOCK,—The approach of another year stirs up within me new desires for your salvation, and for the growth of those of you who are saved. “God is my record how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.” What the coming year is to bring forth, who can tell? … Those believers will stand firmest who...
Dec 27th
2 notes
2 tags
Invisible Worship Musician: Choosing songs for... →
Factor 01: Know what songs are familiar to your small group. Factor 02: Know what songs are sing-able and what are not. Factor 03: Know what your musician(s) can do and work accordingly.
Dec 27th
1 note
6 tags
Poem I wrote in 2003 (at least)
I dug this up today, and was quite moved by it: I said, “Let me walk in the field,” He said, “No, walk in the town.” I said, “There are no flowers here!” He said, “No flowers, but a crown.” I said, “But the skies are black, There is nothing but noise and din!” And He wept as He sent me back “There is more,” He said,...
Dec 26th
6 notes
5 tags
“You know how Paul summarizes Ephesians? It’s not a change in...”
– Paul Tripp, on our ‘devil problem’ in Ephesians 6
Dec 25th
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5 tags
Bob Dylan's Everything is Broken (1989)
Broken lines, broken strings Broken threads, broken springs Broken idols, broken heads People sleeping in broken beds Ain’t no use jiving Ain’t no use joking Everything is broken Broken bottles, broken plates Broken switches, broken gates Broken dishes, broken parts Streets are filled with broken hearts Broken words never meant to be spoken Everything is broken Seem like every time you stop...
Dec 25th
4 notes
5 tags
Prayer for light out of darkness
Though dark be all the eye can see, Help me feel light is all my plea. Though no one see and no one tell, Help me faithful to the gospel. Though no one hears and no one knows Help me be true to what I’ve been told. Though no one thanks and no one cheers, Help me feel Your presence dear. Though no one joins and none follow, Help strengthen my weak knees to go. Though it be a cross and not a...
Dec 25th
3 notes
4 tags
How do YOU pronounce 'in excelsis Deo'? →
Dec 25th
3 tags
Why you need sanctification
1. It will save you heartache when your sin rips your life apart 2. It will keep you from disaster, disgrace, desolation and damnation 3. It protects those you love from living a life of hell that you will bring them 4. It frees you to enjoy life as it was meant to be lived by admitting your limitations and God’s omnipotence- with God as God, not you as God 5. It kills the sin that...
Dec 25th
1 note
2 tags
The Intergenerational Church (Part One)
Today, I met an enlightened old principal who asked me to write a position paper on ‘culture’- what it is and how you get it. We spent a long time discussing why he was so obsessed of late with the idea of culture, identity, modes, mindsets, paradigms, patterns, acculturation, et cetera. The conversation left me excited for the new year and also more thoughtful as I considered what...
Dec 23rd
2 tags
“Hands touch, eyes meet Sudden silence, sudden heat Hearts leap in a giddy...”
– Wicked in Singapore, 23/12/11.
Dec 23rd
3 tags
Dec 22nd
9 notes
9 tags
Dec 22nd
6 notes
5 tags
NYTimes: The Book of books: what literature owes... →
Dec 22nd
1 note
3 tags
A prayer to be like Ananias
Father, Help me not cling to prejudices and make snap value judgments about others different than me. Help me to have more hope for those with difficult pasts than they do for themselves. Help me not to value others based on what they can do for me, but instead what I can do for them. Help me to see that all your children are brothers and sisters in Christ with a beautiful inheritance. Help me...
Dec 21st
3 notes
3 tags
Dec 21st
3 tags
Dec 21st
1 note
3 tags
Dec 21st
3 tags
Dec 20th
3 tags
Dec 20th
2 notes
3 tags
“It came without ribbons, it came without tags, It came without packages, boxes...”
–  The Grinch by Dr Seuss.
Dec 20th
4 tags
Dec 19th
1 note
3 tags
“We are treated as…sorrowful, yet always rejoicing”
– 2 Cor 6:10 (ESV)
Dec 18th
8 notes
6 tags
WatchWatch
John Piper’s Gravity and Gladness (worship seminar) GRAVITY - “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary…” (Isaiah 8:12-14 ESV) and GLADNESS - “Send out your light and your...
Dec 16th
19 notes
2 tags
“…whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one...”
– (1 Peter 4:11 ESV)
Dec 16th
3 tags
Enneagram: personality test type →
Dec 16th
2 notes
2 tags
Vanity Fair: Christopher Hitchens has passed away →
Dec 15th
3 notes
3 tags
Pipebomb wisdom: Getting enough sleep and staying... →
“I am emotionally less resilient when I lose sleep. There were early days when I would work without regard to sleep and feel energized and motivated. In the last seven or eight years my threshold for despondency is much lower. For me, adequate sleep is not a matter of staying healthy. It is a matter of staying in the ministry. It is irrational that my future should look bleaker when I get...
Dec 14th
21 notes
3 tags
Challies: Evidences of God's grace in the church →
Dec 14th
4 tags
Idolatry: making gods
“And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” (Exodus 32:4 ESV) “And the man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household gods, and ordained one of his sons, who became his priest.” (Judges 17:5 ESV) “So the king...
Dec 13th
4 notes
2 tags
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman,...”
– (Galatians 4:4-5 ESV)
Dec 13th
1 tag
Dec 13th
4 notes
3 tags
WatchWatch
Tim Keller interviewed on what he would said to Kim Kardashian about marriage. And here is again on MSNBC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm5Ul9Lfxes
Dec 12th
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WatchWatch
Desiring God end of year ministry update.
Dec 12th
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5 tags
Dec 12th
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3 tags
Why does Ephesians sound like Paul was high?
(All emphasis mine) In Ephesians, Paul sometimes write really really grandiously, like this: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” (Ephesians 1:3 ESV) “as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” (Ephesians 1:10...
Dec 12th
1 note
2 tags
“….how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable,...”
– (Acts 20:20 ESV)
Dec 12th
1 tag
HBR: Facebook is making us miserable →
1. it’s creating a den of comparison 2. it’s fragmenting our time 3. there’s a decline of close relationships
Dec 12th
1 note
3 tags
Dec 11th
4 notes
2 tags
Remembering some milestones, randomly
When I was 15, I heard Uncle Roy describe how big God was, that all the oceans of the world were a drop in His hand. I cried when I saw other Christians worshiping God. In 2002, I sat with Joshua outside the secondary four classrooms and we talked about how video games make you impatient, angsty, and maybe it had to do with demonic control. I had stopped playing LAN just before that. When I was...
Dec 11th
1 note
3 tags
WatchWatch
Annie and I on RazorTV - commenting on the Abercrombie and Finch advertising stunt on Orchard Road, no less. We appear around 2:58.
Dec 10th
3 tags
Reflection questions for care group
Introduction 1. Describe your 2011 in one word. 2. What were the highlights of this year for you? Name three. 3. Describe yourself and how you’re feeling about your current life now, and compare it to one year ago. How has life changed from one year ago? Reflecting on my walk as a Christian 4. What new year resolutions did you make at the start of this year as a follower of Jesus...
Dec 9th
19 notes
3 tags
“Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his...”
– Hebrews 2:8b-9 (ESV)
Dec 9th
1 note
5 tags
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part;...”
– 1 Corinthians 13:12 (ESV)
Dec 9th
2 notes
6 tags
WatchWatch
Thursday- yesterday, a great saint went home to glory. Dr. Samuel Hsu, although I knew him only briefly and distantly, was another wonderful gentleman and a faithful servant of the Lord. Through his legacy and impact, my own desire to grow as a disciple of Christ, and a musician has been distinctly impacted from my time at Tenth Presbyterian in Philadelphia. The Scriptures tell us,...
Dec 9th
4 notes