gracebeliever's Xanga

Friday, November 10, 2006

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 13:23:05 GMT

A Dose of Reality

Trying to live a victorious Christian life without a daily dose of the Scriptures is like trying to run your car on an empty tank, work all week on an empty stomach, or pay your bills on an empty cheque account.

Steve Farrar writes: "I need to be reminded of what is true. God's Word gives me a dose of reality. My morning briefing in the Word gives me a perspective that I don't get in the world. I need God's commentary on my life every day. A Christian¡ in this society is swimming upstream. Without the constant nutrition of the Word, he will soon tire and be dragged off by the sheer force of the current." So, spend time each day in the Scriptures!

TheVine

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 04:24:51 GMT

My New Job

Whew new job is not always full of fun. Stressful? Yes. Challenging? Yes.
Let me tell you what happened in my first day.

Without giving you a FULL descpription of my new job I can give hints on how challenging and stressful it is.

1. The General Manager/CEO is very demanding.

2. I have 3 office staff in my department and all are fully loaded with tasks. Just 4 of us will work as a team to manage a group of at least 30 workers in our department alone.

3. One of the staff in my department( a senior staff) is BOSSY. Imagine her asking me petty things like "close the widow" and ' " give me the calendar" when in fact I am her direct manager and in charge of the department.

4. I worked from 8:30 in the morning until 10:00 in the evening. Well, the lunch break is 2 hrs. but the dinner break is only 30 mins. What a day.

5. I am the ONLY full time FOREIGN office employee. Imagine the language barrier since I cannot speak their language not to mention the the cultural differences.

6. Since I don't have a car I have to take a bus everyday.

7. I have to wake up at least 6:00 in the morning. But because i don't use to get up that early it is a big adjustment for me.

Well, can I last for a year? I hope so. The title of my job is so good but the responsibilities is not easy. But I pray that I can do this job pretty well for the glory of God. Yes. two years is enough.

posted on October

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 07:01:04 GMT

AUTHORITY AND SUBMISSION IN MARRIAGE-- DOES IT WORK?

Is this a reasonable pattern for marriage today?

God's purpose for marriage is given in Genesis 2:24 as oneness or unity. God's plan or pattern for that unity is given in Ephesians 5:21-33.

WHAT IS GOD'S PATTERN?
1. As persons -- a husband and wife are equal before God (Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 5:21), but as

partners there is a functional difference (1 Corinthians 11:3).

2. Husband -- head if the marriage (or leader), and to love hid wife (Ephesians 5:22-28).

3. Wife -- submit to (Eph. 5:22) and respect (Eph 5:33) her husband.

Is this a reasonable pattern for marriage today? Does every bride have to promise to obey (or submit to) her husband?

God is the originator and designer of marriage, so He is really the only one qualified to set the ground rules.

Let's look more closely to try to understand them.

HUSBANDS
Ephesians 5 says you are to be the leader (this speaks of your authority) and the lover (this speaks of your affections).

A LEADER
Your leadership will never mean dictatorship because it is a trust given by God and based on love their

wives "just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her." (Ephesians 5:25) . (More about this later.)

Nor will your leadership mean your wife's inferiority. Remember you are both persons loved by God and precious

in His sight. Neither will you make all the decisions (your wife will be better able to make decisions in some areas

of your marriage), but you are responsible before God for all decisions made.

Your leadership cannot be demanded. True submission is a love response, not something demanded.

A husband's leadership also extends to the wife's spiritual life . As Jesus did for the church (Ephesians 5:26-27),

you need to give your wife the right opportunities and conditions for spiritual growth. God will hold you responsible
for the spiritual life in your family. (Don't leave it to Mom to teach the children about God and the Christian life.)

"Your leadership will never mean dictatorship..."

A LOVER
Leadership is not gained through power, because a Christian husband will concentrate on loving his wife

as Christ loves His bride the church. Remember hat Christ gave His life for the church, became a servant

for the church, and suffered for the church. Voluntary, self-sacrificing love is the biblical standard for husbands.

Husbands, you want to know the secret for a happy wife? Shower her with 1 Corinthians 13 type love, add

romantic love for good measure. A woman's need for love is intense and constant. Give her lots of attention

(she sees it as affection); give her time; compliment her; look into her eyes when talking; comment on her work

(favourably!); do things with her; listen to her problems; consider her as a partner in all areas of your life; develop

her as a person; do little things for her.

In marriage, a man is to be a leader ans a lover. Leadership without love is dictatorship; love without leadership

is weak sentimentality.

WIVES
Ephesians 5:11-24,33 gives you the responsibility of submission and respect. Isn't this a little unfair or demeaning?

No, Jesus Himself had an attitude of submission, and Philippians 2:5-9 tells us that the end result was great glory

and honour for Himself . Submission is a response of love -- giving everything I am to another because I love them.

SUBMISSION
Submission is not an act of subordination in a difficult situation, but a deep heart confidence in God's sovereignty

over your husband, because you realise the ultimate benefits of cooperating with God's pattern will far outweigh

any immediate losses.

Notice that there are no conditions given before a wife is to submit. Nor are any exceptions allowed to the rule. It

is a basic plan for all wives -- regardless of how special, different or difficult a particular marriage may be. (See 1 Peter 3:1-7.)

" Submission is response of love..."

RESPECT
Every man has a basic need for acceptance and admiration; that's why God asks wives to respond to their

husbands with respect. It means to regard him with honour, to admire him, to trust him, and to praise him.

Treat him like a king (and you will be his queen). A man who lacks respect, finds it almost impossible to give love.

In order to admire him, you need to discover him, so listen when he talks. Not just to the words, but also to the man

who is talking . (What are his values, strong feelings?) Admire his character, his mind, even his body. Be specific and

genuine in your admiration. (Most men have something in them to admire --just keep looking!) Be interested in his work

and give it a place of importance.

Make your husband No.1 after God. Give him priority treatment. (He comes before the children. It was him you married not

the children.) Make your home a haven of peace and a place for happy memories. A man may be head of the house, but the

woman is the heart of the home. Be feminine and dependent on him. A man needs his wife to need him.

Remember too, that man needs sexual fulfilment. As a wife your emotional needs are important, but your husbands places

more importance on physical needs than you perhaps realise. 1 Corinthians 7 has some sound advice when it says, "fulfill

each others sexual desires".

God's plan is for happiness in marriage..."

PRACTICAL

Perhaps you are saying right now, " All sounds fine to me, but how does it work out. What happens when we strongly

disagree about something?"

Both husband and wife should contribute their insights, thoughts and feelings to the discussion . Be willing to discuss

the needs of the other person. Be willing to pray individually and together, and to share what you believe God is saying.

If there is still no agreement, it is the husband's responsibility to make the choice and the wife's to pray for him as he

does so. She should then accept his decision (submit to him) and support him in it (respect) even if he seems to have

made a mistake. Remember God is mightier than even the mistakes of husbands.

Submission may not be easy because we are by nature selfish people, but following God's plan for marriage is of ultimate

benefit to our relationship and ourselves. His plan is for happiness in marriage -- your marriage.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 03:19:54 GMT

The Amish Testimony

Charles Carl Roberts IV, 32, entered the West Nickel Mines School Oct. 2, took 10 girls hostage, tied them up and shot them before killing himself.

Leroy Zook, who had seven family members in the school when the gunman arrived, told The New York Times that one of the wounded girls told her parents what happened after the teachers and boys were released from the one-room schoolhouse.

¡°They talked with this gunman and asked him why he was doing this,¡± Zook recounted. ¡°And he told them why: he¡¯s angry at God, he¡¯s just bitter. He told them that they¡¯re supposed to pray for him that he wouldn¡¯t do this.¡±

Zook said 13-year-old Marian Fisher, before she was killed, sought to protect the others.

¡°The oldest girl there, she said, ¡®Shoot me, and leave the others alone,¡± Zook told The Times.

In television broadcasts since the shooting, members of the Amish community in Lancaster County have been asked how they¡¯re dealing with the tragedy, and the Amish have said they have forgiven Roberts because Christ forgave them. The Amish also have reached out to the gunman¡¯s family with forgiveness and compassion, according to media reports.

http://www.baptistpress.com/default.asp

Friday, September 29, 2006

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 09:09:58 GMT

VISA

I hope my trip back to the "field " won't have problems anymore with the immigration. I find it traumatic to see immigration officials. I know that many of my co-workers have encountered problem like this many times. I was about to fly last month but there were unexpected hindrances. My plan didn't go well as I have expected. Yet, I believe that all things work together for good according to Go's purpose. Delays are not necessary "denial" of my prayers of smooth and perfect furlough. Waiting is difficult. It takes faith...hope...etc. Ah, I know this is another test on me.

Meanwhile, I am enjoying all the things around me and I will grab all the opportunity to do the task God has given me here in my homebase.

Pray for my flight on Oct. and that all is going to be fine.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 13:40:41 GMT

...

Passion and Purity

"Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living". JE

"Taken in a spirit of trust , even loneliness contributes to the maturing of character, even the endurance of separation and silence and uncertainty can build us a steady hope.

" I must resist my urge to MANIPULATE him, needle and prod and pester until he capitulates. I must trust God in Him, trust God to do for both of us better than I know."

" Love must be patient when it is tempted ( by delays of other people) to be impatient. Love must not be selfish, even if other people aer. Love does not take offence, though people are offensive sometimes. There are wrongs, but love can't keep score. There are things to be faced, but nothing love can't face, things to try love's faith, discourage it's hope, and call for its endurance, but it keeps right on trusting, hoping, and enduring love never ends."

" Was it possible to love him as intensely as I did and to be pure enough to desire nothing more in the world than his holiness and happiness?

" I want the simplicity and purity of the perspective that when I commit myself in a man in marriage I shall give all that I have to him in love, without any claims to what I desire out of him".

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 06:43:25 GMT

WARREN TO RWANDA

Fox show highlights Warren's partnership with Rwanda
Aug 21, 2006
By Tobin Perry
Baptist Press

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., visited with local children in Kibuye, Rwanda, earlier this month. The Rwandan ministry of Warren and his wife, Kay, were the focus of a one-hour feature on Fox News Aug. 21. Photo by Allison Cox, Saddleback Church

LAKE FOREST, Calif. (BP)--Either he¡¯ll mobilize the world¡¯s Christians to tackle global giants like spiritual emptiness, ego-centric leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy or Rick Warren will die trying, the Southern Baptist pastor told Fox News Aug. 21.

¡°Throwing money at it is not the answer,¡± Warren told Fox interviewer David Asman. ¡°These are the problems that the United States has failed to solve. The United Nations has failed to solve. The only thing big enough to solve them actually is the church.¡±

Warren shared his global P.E.A.C.E Plan, a purpose driven vision to tackle global evils in the world, during the hour-long documentary on Fox News.

Three days earlier, Warren appeared on Fox News' "DaySide." Host Mike Jerrick asked, "Can Rick Warren save the world?"

"No," Warren responded, "Rick Warren can't, but Jesus can."

TAKEN FROM: http://www.baptistpress.com/bpnews.asp?ID=23825

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Wed, 09 Aug 2006 03:16:20 GMT

Life Worth Living For!

Last night I studied the book Ecclesiastes in the OT book of the Bible.
So here's the insights that I learned from it.

1. Real satisfaction is found not in the components of life ( work, family, health, wealth, etc) but in loving relationship of our God.

2. Without God in the picture there's no point in life. Life is meaningless.

3. The limitations of men---we are finite poeple. Fallen creatures therefore we are limited. Unless we have proper response to these limitations we will never truly be satisfied.

A. God limits the control of life.---how much do you have control over death, life, health, the stock market, relationships, weather?

B.God limits our comprehension of life----the answers of all the questions in life are not found in this world, not here but there, not now but then, not in us but in Him.
"Mystery begets dependency in Christian life"

C..God limits man's enjoyment in life---He give us the gifts as well as the power to enjoy them.

4. Why God limits us?
a. TO teach us eternity--to look at the blessed hope.--heaven
b. To teach us humility---for us to depend in Him and look for Him in all areas of our lives. That we will not trust in ourselves but to God who is the giver of all.

Note: helpful materials for more study go to Jimberg.com

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Wed, 02 Aug 2006 04:13:20 GMT

Alone or Lonely

Are you lonely? Who knows about it? Perhaps this is the time to say, ¡°I don¡¯t have to be lonely. I¡¯m going to reach out to God and other people.¡± Vulnerability requires risk. But Jesus risked everything for you so you might never face the loneliness of being all alone again. You can be joined to Him. Have you made that choice?

Questions for Reflection

God can use your loneliness to draw you into a deeper relationship with Himself. Take inventory of your prayer life. If you are especially lonely, ask yourself:

Am I spending enough time alone with Him?
Am I lonely because I would rather be alone than become vulnerable?
What steps can I take to reach out to God and others?

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Sat, 22 Jul 2006 06:36:30 GMT

Returning Home

I am now on vacation. I have been living abroad since 2002. Now I return to my home base.

10 things I like when returning home:

1. I enjoy my time with my parents and siblings.
2. I enjoy talking to my niece and nephew and play with them.
3. Good shopping...malling etc.
4. Food...and Starbucks cofee
5. Meeting friends and people.
6. Bonding with my best friends.
7. Go to a big church and fellowship with former church mates.
8. Motorcycling.
9. Take a ship.
10. Go swimming...ah nice beach...coconut trees...and enjoy the tropical sceneries.

10 Things I hate when returning home:

1. I miss my quiet life.
2. I miss spa, facial and body massage.
3. I hate the traffic.
4. I can't spend enough time to read my Bible and pray because of many people around me and that keeps me busy..
5. Food is expensive especially the fruit.
6. The transportation isn't excellent.
7. I don't have my own bathroom.
8.I don't like to entertain my neighbors a lot...I'm tired of talking.
9 People expect you to give gifts or anything.
10. I don't have a computer.

funny isn't it?