During my stuvac period, I was studying hard and using msn + facebook until Andrew kindly reminded me to get off facebook... hehe! During this time, I noticed the Windows Live Today pop up page had a nude picture of different women everyday with her private parts covered. I was so annoyed and I knew it wasn’t the time for me to take action until I finished my exams. For the next few weeks they continued to show different nude pictures. When my holidays finally came, I sent them a long feedback saying how offended I was that they are degrading my experience using MSN while trying to communicate with my friends and family. The very next day after sending my long lecture to their customer feedback service, they cleaned up MSN and I haven’t seen another nude picture since then.
I was influenced by a Pastor’s sermon on my mum’s CD, who told a story about her experience of seeing nude magazines in the convenience store. She went to the store person and told them that she was offended and asked them to take down the magazines. The store person did as she asked.
The incident with MSN was alarming to me because I thought about my little cousins, friends and millions of other people who were exposed to these pictures, which were imposed on them just by signing into MSN. I wanted to share this with you because I hope that you will guide those around you who do things against God’s will.
JC
God's will
GOD'S WILL
I look to the left
and look to the right
no friend beside me
no end in sight
the road is long
the going tough
the heat is burning
the ground is rough
yet no evil will i fear
though doubts assail me
though inner voices cry
and rail and betray me
how could God be this way?
how could He let this be?
why am i in such a bind?
is he, God, out of his mind?
ask not why
but understand
reads a sign by the Spirit
written in the sand
MAKTUB. It is written, so the Alchemist said,
It is God's will.
God's will that you make it alive
much rather than dead.
and so His will unfolded
and i slowly understood
that my path had been made easy
guided and good
so i thanked him heartily
and gave him a smile
and stopped by to linger
and listen a while
to the sounds of laughter
from heaven above
of songs of joy and happiness
and the peace of the Dove
refreshed i continued
taking stride by stride
with newfound interest
and newfound pride
and i know that this journey
when the day is done
will find me in heaven
with the loving Three-in-One
I look to the left
and look to the right
no friend beside me
no end in sight
the road is long
the going tough
the heat is burning
the ground is rough
yet no evil will i fear
though doubts assail me
though inner voices cry
and rail and betray me
how could God be this way?
how could He let this be?
why am i in such a bind?
is he, God, out of his mind?
ask not why
but understand
reads a sign by the Spirit
written in the sand
MAKTUB. It is written, so the Alchemist said,
It is God's will.
God's will that you make it alive
much rather than dead.
and so His will unfolded
and i slowly understood
that my path had been made easy
guided and good
so i thanked him heartily
and gave him a smile
and stopped by to linger
and listen a while
to the sounds of laughter
from heaven above
of songs of joy and happiness
and the peace of the Dove
refreshed i continued
taking stride by stride
with newfound interest
and newfound pride
and i know that this journey
when the day is done
will find me in heaven
with the loving Three-in-One
God's Will and Free Will - Part 2
I split this post into a number of parts because this topic is really close to my heart and I could write so much about it... better that these be split up into separate posts that can be read on their own rather than one long essay.
The first part was my reflections on the bigger picture of how it was possible that God's will and our free will can co-exist. In this part I wanted to share my thoughts on practically, how I imagine these to actually work together. I will then post a third part on what exactly I think God's will is and how to apply it in our daily lives.
I pray that these thoughts will help you in growing closer to God - I found that figuring this out helped me to rely more on God and put more trust to Him! =)
The first part was my reflections on the bigger picture of how it was possible that God's will and our free will can co-exist. In this part I wanted to share my thoughts on practically, how I imagine these to actually work together. I will then post a third part on what exactly I think God's will is and how to apply it in our daily lives.
I pray that these thoughts will help you in growing closer to God - I found that figuring this out helped me to rely more on God and put more trust to Him! =)
============================
I imagine my life to be a journey towards some final destination. Visually, it might look like a map, with me travelling between two dots. I imagine that God desires that I will end my journey with Him in heaven - this is God's will/plan for my life.
I imagine that I have been given the chance to make my journey between my starting point and the end point however I like - and also to choose where I end up. If God had his way then I would travel in a straight line between my starting point (birth?) to my final destination - which He hopes will be heaven.
Because I am human and often make the wrong choices, I often stray from the path that he hopes I will walk - which probably would be the most suitable/easiest path for me. I choose to turn left when he hopes I will turn right, I don't move when I should, or I turn around and go back in the same way that I came when He hopes I will move forward. Because of this, my life seems to be full of challenges and suffering - and so much of the time I blame God for putting these roadblocks in my journey.
Little do I know that every time i made a wrong turn, He reoriented everything in the map so that I still have the best chance at getting to my final destination. Every time I stop when I'm meant to move, or move when I'm not supposed to, He adjusts everything so that my chances of ending up with Him are not jeopardised. How can He do this? Short answer - because He is God.
I believe He is able to do this because I believe 'linear' time (past, present, future) is a human concept. Because we are human, we have to do one thing after the other and can't go back or jump into the future. However God isn't human, and He isn't bound by time. Everything in our lives happens at the same point for Him. My being born, my wedding, my first step, the day I die, my graduatiion... it's all happening for him right NOW. And so, He is able to adjust my map while I am making the very choice that throws me off course.
Another way to think about it is in terms of how well He knows me. God is my Father, my creator, my God. He knows every hair on my head, every thought that has gone through/is going through/will go through my mind. He can 'predict' what I will choose, given a certain situation because of how well He knows me. Because of this, He can alter situations or put me in situations that will maximise my chances of ending up with Him.
(For example, my friends know that my favourite colour is purple. Given the chance to choose between anything purple and grey, they know that I will choose the purple, even before I have made the decision. God is like my friend, except He knows me that much more intimately.)
Does this mean we are manipulated by God? Are we pawns in His 'chess' game? Are we powerless and will He always win? I don't believe so. The most that God will do is put us in situations that will give us a better chance of being with Him. He won't ever make us choose in a certain way - because God is Love, and love is not manipulative nor forceful. God wants us to end up with Him because we want to be there, not because we have been told we 'must' be there.
And I can say with certainty that God, even though He is God, doesn't always get what He wants! He leaves Himself vulnerable to our choices, hoping and waiting ever so patiently that we will choose Him. And that's why the kingdom of heaven is like the father who rejoices over the return of a lost son, like the woman who celebrates when she finds her lost penny, or the shepherd who leoaves his 99 sheep to find the 1 who has gone astray.
I imagine my life to be a journey towards some final destination. Visually, it might look like a map, with me travelling between two dots. I imagine that God desires that I will end my journey with Him in heaven - this is God's will/plan for my life.
I imagine that I have been given the chance to make my journey between my starting point and the end point however I like - and also to choose where I end up. If God had his way then I would travel in a straight line between my starting point (birth?) to my final destination - which He hopes will be heaven.
Because I am human and often make the wrong choices, I often stray from the path that he hopes I will walk - which probably would be the most suitable/easiest path for me. I choose to turn left when he hopes I will turn right, I don't move when I should, or I turn around and go back in the same way that I came when He hopes I will move forward. Because of this, my life seems to be full of challenges and suffering - and so much of the time I blame God for putting these roadblocks in my journey.
Little do I know that every time i made a wrong turn, He reoriented everything in the map so that I still have the best chance at getting to my final destination. Every time I stop when I'm meant to move, or move when I'm not supposed to, He adjusts everything so that my chances of ending up with Him are not jeopardised. How can He do this? Short answer - because He is God.
I believe He is able to do this because I believe 'linear' time (past, present, future) is a human concept. Because we are human, we have to do one thing after the other and can't go back or jump into the future. However God isn't human, and He isn't bound by time. Everything in our lives happens at the same point for Him. My being born, my wedding, my first step, the day I die, my graduatiion... it's all happening for him right NOW. And so, He is able to adjust my map while I am making the very choice that throws me off course.
Another way to think about it is in terms of how well He knows me. God is my Father, my creator, my God. He knows every hair on my head, every thought that has gone through/is going through/will go through my mind. He can 'predict' what I will choose, given a certain situation because of how well He knows me. Because of this, He can alter situations or put me in situations that will maximise my chances of ending up with Him.
(For example, my friends know that my favourite colour is purple. Given the chance to choose between anything purple and grey, they know that I will choose the purple, even before I have made the decision. God is like my friend, except He knows me that much more intimately.)
Does this mean we are manipulated by God? Are we pawns in His 'chess' game? Are we powerless and will He always win? I don't believe so. The most that God will do is put us in situations that will give us a better chance of being with Him. He won't ever make us choose in a certain way - because God is Love, and love is not manipulative nor forceful. God wants us to end up with Him because we want to be there, not because we have been told we 'must' be there.
And I can say with certainty that God, even though He is God, doesn't always get what He wants! He leaves Himself vulnerable to our choices, hoping and waiting ever so patiently that we will choose Him. And that's why the kingdom of heaven is like the father who rejoices over the return of a lost son, like the woman who celebrates when she finds her lost penny, or the shepherd who leoaves his 99 sheep to find the 1 who has gone astray.
Labels:
Apologetics,
faith,
Free Will,
Reflections
God's Will and Free Will - Part 1
We talked a bit about God's will at the retreat yesterday. This led me to think about some questions that I had, and have had asked of me.
What is "God's will"? Is it some map or plan God has drawn up for my life, that I must follow? If so, how can I still have free will? What if I choose to do something that isn't on God's "map" for my life?
Firstly, the definition of the word "will". www.dictionary.com describes it as "to wish; desire; like". That works. So we are talking about what God wishes, or desires for me. "Wish" and "desire" aren't very forceful words... let's come back to this.
So what is it that God wishes for me? I believe that what God wishes and desires for each one of us is much bigger than whether or not I pass a test or get a job. God wants to love me, and for me to allow myself to be loved by Him. God wants to spend eternity loving me. That is what God wills for me - and for every single one of us.
Using the "map" analogy, God's Will is the destination, the ending location. He wants us to end up in heaven with Him. I don't think that he has the path to the end location mapped out for us - we make choices along the way when we come to crossroads, which way to go. This is where free will comes in.
Because God has given us free will, he gives us a choice - to choose Him or to choose "not" Him. By giving me this choice, our ever loving God - who is pure Love - renders Himself vulnerable to me rejecting Him and the love that He offers.
Love makes the lover vulnerable; and so our God - the One who taught the sun where to stand in the morning, and the oceans how far how far it can go - surrenders His power and might, and hands His heart over to me to do with it as I want. I can choose to cradle it or to crush it.
This also means that even though God is God, contrary to popular belief, He doesn't always get His way/get what He wants. He could force things and make things go His way if He wanted, but that isn't the way that our God, or how Love works. Love that isn't freely given isn't love at all.
So at the end of the day, my God is my lover, waiting and longing for me to reciprocate His love... hoping and wishing that I won't scorn Him, or throw everything He's done to woo me back in His face.
Father,
I thank you for everything you have ever done for me. Thank you for creating me and loving me unconditionally. Thank you for being so patient with me while I learn to accept myself and open myself up to you - please help me to see myself through Your eyes so that I can understand why You look at me and say "it is good".
Please continue to be with me so that I learn to desire what You desire, and will what You will. May I be Your hands and voice, so that Your Will will come about in the world.
I pray this through your Son Jesus.
What is "God's will"? Is it some map or plan God has drawn up for my life, that I must follow? If so, how can I still have free will? What if I choose to do something that isn't on God's "map" for my life?
Firstly, the definition of the word "will". www.dictionary.com describes it as "to wish; desire; like". That works. So we are talking about what God wishes, or desires for me. "Wish" and "desire" aren't very forceful words... let's come back to this.
So what is it that God wishes for me? I believe that what God wishes and desires for each one of us is much bigger than whether or not I pass a test or get a job. God wants to love me, and for me to allow myself to be loved by Him. God wants to spend eternity loving me. That is what God wills for me - and for every single one of us.
Using the "map" analogy, God's Will is the destination, the ending location. He wants us to end up in heaven with Him. I don't think that he has the path to the end location mapped out for us - we make choices along the way when we come to crossroads, which way to go. This is where free will comes in.
Because God has given us free will, he gives us a choice - to choose Him or to choose "not" Him. By giving me this choice, our ever loving God - who is pure Love - renders Himself vulnerable to me rejecting Him and the love that He offers.
Love makes the lover vulnerable; and so our God - the One who taught the sun where to stand in the morning, and the oceans how far how far it can go - surrenders His power and might, and hands His heart over to me to do with it as I want. I can choose to cradle it or to crush it.
This also means that even though God is God, contrary to popular belief, He doesn't always get His way/get what He wants. He could force things and make things go His way if He wanted, but that isn't the way that our God, or how Love works. Love that isn't freely given isn't love at all.
So at the end of the day, my God is my lover, waiting and longing for me to reciprocate His love... hoping and wishing that I won't scorn Him, or throw everything He's done to woo me back in His face.
Father,
I thank you for everything you have ever done for me. Thank you for creating me and loving me unconditionally. Thank you for being so patient with me while I learn to accept myself and open myself up to you - please help me to see myself through Your eyes so that I can understand why You look at me and say "it is good".
Please continue to be with me so that I learn to desire what You desire, and will what You will. May I be Your hands and voice, so that Your Will will come about in the world.
I pray this through your Son Jesus.
Labels:
Apologetics,
Free Will,
Love,
Prayer,
Reflections
My Prayer for Discerning Vocation
A few of us went on a silent retreat today, and the topic of the day was Discerning our Vocations. When I first started reflecting, I wasn't sure of wher to start... but after reading some thoughts from Thomas Merton, was instead inspired to write the following prayer. I hope you might find it a useful place if you are ever thinking about your vocation!
Dear God,
Thank you for blessing me so abundantly. Thank you for my faith in You, and allowing me to trust You so completely. Please continue to bless me in this way, and protect me if ever i start to lose this faith in You.
I don't know what You want me to do with my life, but I hope You will continue to reveal this to me. Please continue to inspire me to open myself to You, so that I will be able to tell when You are speaking to me.
Please help me to know myself better: show me my strengths, so that I may continue to use these to do Your will. Please show me my weaknesses, so that I may be aware of them, and learn to love myself in spite of them. Please help me work through the many fears that I may feel as I carry out Your work. Help me to remember that with You behind our backs, nothing is impossible.
Finally, please be with me and inspire me to desire what You desire; to will what You will, so that I may be a true reflection of You in everything I do.
I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and God.
Dear God,
Thank you for blessing me so abundantly. Thank you for my faith in You, and allowing me to trust You so completely. Please continue to bless me in this way, and protect me if ever i start to lose this faith in You.
I don't know what You want me to do with my life, but I hope You will continue to reveal this to me. Please continue to inspire me to open myself to You, so that I will be able to tell when You are speaking to me.
Please help me to know myself better: show me my strengths, so that I may continue to use these to do Your will. Please show me my weaknesses, so that I may be aware of them, and learn to love myself in spite of them. Please help me work through the many fears that I may feel as I carry out Your work. Help me to remember that with You behind our backs, nothing is impossible.
Finally, please be with me and inspire me to desire what You desire; to will what You will, so that I may be a true reflection of You in everything I do.
I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and God.
God and Science - A Catholic View
In tonight's sharing, we touched a bit on science and religion, and how they fit together. Below is something that I wrote to someone about my thoughts on the topic... let me know what you think!!
Catholic Teaching to be found here.
This is from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), which is a place where all the church's official teachings are collated.
See the wiki entry for a start if you want to find out mroe about the CCC.
Back to the Catholic teaching:
You will see from paragraph 282, that the chruch irecognises that everyone s concerned with questions like "Where do we come from?" "Where are we going?" "What is our origin?" "What is our end?" "Where does everything that exists come from and where is it going?".
Para 283 states: "The question about the origins of the world and of man has been the object of many scientific studies which have splendidly enriched our knowledge of the age and dimensions of the cosmos, the development of life-forms and the appearance of man." The fact that it says that scientific studies have splendidly enriched our knowledge,means that the church agees with science in that evolution might have occured as the creation of the world.
Para 284 goes on to say: "The great interest accorded to these studies is strongly stimulated by a question of another order, which goes beyond the proper domain of the natural sciences. It is not only a question of knowing when and how the universe arose physically, or when man appeared, but rather of discovering the meaning of such an origin...". When they say "these studies", they are referring to what the church is primarily concerned about. And the church is not concerned about the WHEN and HOW the universe arose (it leaves this to science) but it focuses on the MEANING of such an origin - the WHY.
If you keep reading, you will notice that the church does not EVER discredit science, or say that the theory of evolution is wrong. In fact, it doesn't even go down the track of HOW at all, but concentrates on WHY the world has come to be.
Remember what I said - the church never says that Scientific knowledge is WRONG. Maybe part of the reason that the church has not said that evolution is RIGHT, is because scientists themselves call it the THEORY of evolution - meaning they believe it to be the most correct answer right now, but that it has not yet been proven to be the ABSOLUTELY CORRECT answer.
============
Catholic Teaching to be found here.
This is from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), which is a place where all the church's official teachings are collated.
See the wiki entry for a start if you want to find out mroe about the CCC.
Back to the Catholic teaching:
You will see from paragraph 282, that the chruch irecognises that everyone s concerned with questions like "Where do we come from?" "Where are we going?" "What is our origin?" "What is our end?" "Where does everything that exists come from and where is it going?".
Para 283 states: "The question about the origins of the world and of man has been the object of many scientific studies which have splendidly enriched our knowledge of the age and dimensions of the cosmos, the development of life-forms and the appearance of man." The fact that it says that scientific studies have splendidly enriched our knowledge,means that the church agees with science in that evolution might have occured as the creation of the world.
Para 284 goes on to say: "The great interest accorded to these studies is strongly stimulated by a question of another order, which goes beyond the proper domain of the natural sciences. It is not only a question of knowing when and how the universe arose physically, or when man appeared, but rather of discovering the meaning of such an origin...". When they say "these studies", they are referring to what the church is primarily concerned about. And the church is not concerned about the WHEN and HOW the universe arose (it leaves this to science) but it focuses on the MEANING of such an origin - the WHY.
If you keep reading, you will notice that the church does not EVER discredit science, or say that the theory of evolution is wrong. In fact, it doesn't even go down the track of HOW at all, but concentrates on WHY the world has come to be.
Remember what I said - the church never says that Scientific knowledge is WRONG. Maybe part of the reason that the church has not said that evolution is RIGHT, is because scientists themselves call it the THEORY of evolution - meaning they believe it to be the most correct answer right now, but that it has not yet been proven to be the ABSOLUTELY CORRECT answer.
Labels:
Apologetics,
faith,
Reflections
New Beginnings
Today my life begins anew,
awash with love and gentle dew,
For God above is my source of joy,
of strength of hope a steadfast buoy.
My life I give, I consecrate,
To Jesus Christ my life’s soul mate,
Protect me Lord in all I do,
And grant me wisdom - honour too,
That I may make your Kingdom come,
till the return of thy beloved Son.
In all things Lord thy will be done,
not mine dear Lord, but make it fun ;)
that I may follow thy holy way,
strengthen, guide me and help me stay
on track to see You when this race is won,
God the Father, Holy Spirit and blessed Son.
Amen.
awash with love and gentle dew,
For God above is my source of joy,
of strength of hope a steadfast buoy.
My life I give, I consecrate,
To Jesus Christ my life’s soul mate,
Protect me Lord in all I do,
And grant me wisdom - honour too,
That I may make your Kingdom come,
till the return of thy beloved Son.
In all things Lord thy will be done,
not mine dear Lord, but make it fun ;)
that I may follow thy holy way,
strengthen, guide me and help me stay
on track to see You when this race is won,
God the Father, Holy Spirit and blessed Son.
Amen.
Labels:
poem Jesus
Reflections
Whispers in the breeze so light,
a gentle whisper that takes to flight,
once noise and dust do overtake
the Spirit quietly trying to make
a message to a needy soul
who has no time even to clean his bowl
let alone listen to the silent tug
which lonely, empty hearts does plug
with heavenly manna of joy and love
and supernatural peace of the holy dove.
Lord I trust in you and in your mighty plan,
though my heart doth falter and spirit go bland,
Even so I choose to rest in that eternal love,
which holds me closer than a hand a glove
O Lord glorify your servant here!
Who stands sometimes so lonely and wrapped in fear!
This cloak of darkness you have thrown away
and it’s your love and grace that makes me stay
though things may seem a little tough
I know that in the end I won’t be so rough
you’ll polish all the flaws away
that I may rest in your love and in heaven, play
a gentle whisper that takes to flight,
once noise and dust do overtake
the Spirit quietly trying to make
a message to a needy soul
who has no time even to clean his bowl
let alone listen to the silent tug
which lonely, empty hearts does plug
with heavenly manna of joy and love
and supernatural peace of the holy dove.
Lord I trust in you and in your mighty plan,
though my heart doth falter and spirit go bland,
Even so I choose to rest in that eternal love,
which holds me closer than a hand a glove
O Lord glorify your servant here!
Who stands sometimes so lonely and wrapped in fear!
This cloak of darkness you have thrown away
and it’s your love and grace that makes me stay
though things may seem a little tough
I know that in the end I won’t be so rough
you’ll polish all the flaws away
that I may rest in your love and in heaven, play
Labels:
poem
I folks,
Thanks to Edith for coming up with the idea for this web site & setting it up, & chumon for making it look pretty! =P
I'm sure this will be a great contribution to our group, & make it even more fun & enriching! =D
Below are the website references for last week's topic of "Salvation, Justification, Faith & Works", which were in my email.
Particularly the first site, by Peter Kreeft, is a good, short read. http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0027.html
Peter Kreeft is a prominent Catholic apologeticist & theologian, converted from Calvinism.
For a good list of some bible references, check out
http://www.catholicapologetics.org/ap020800.htm
Another good page for apologetics (explanation of our beliefs) & references from Scripture & early Church Fathers is Lumen Verum Apologetics:
http://www.theworkofgod.org/Library/Apologtc/R_Haddad/Course/Book1-A.htm#JUSTIFICATION
Labels:
faith,
justification,
salvation,
works
Intro
Hey everyone!
This page, Footsteps to Heaven, is a result of our Thursday bible sharings!
It's a page where everyone can share their thoughts, ask questions and just reflect along our life journey - as we travel together taking footsteps to heaven. We welcome your thoughts and pray that you get a lot out of this!
We will also endeavour to post up recordings of our thursday sharings as soon as we find a nice home for the audio clips.
See you soon!
This page, Footsteps to Heaven, is a result of our Thursday bible sharings!
It's a page where everyone can share their thoughts, ask questions and just reflect along our life journey - as we travel together taking footsteps to heaven. We welcome your thoughts and pray that you get a lot out of this!
We will also endeavour to post up recordings of our thursday sharings as soon as we find a nice home for the audio clips.
See you soon!
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