Raised from the Dead is a testimony of Pastor Daniel who died and came back to life! This is such an amazing video that shows the glory of God and life beyond death. Watch it in order from top to bottom :) I'm sure you'll be as stunned as I am!
Called to be holy
Was reflecting on God's call for us to be holy tonight - do we make ourselves holy by our choices and actions? If so, where does the inspiration for our choices to do good come from? If not, then what do we DO? How can we be holy, if we don't have to do anything?
After a bit of thinking and praying, I realised that both answers led to the same place.
Yes, we make ourselves holy by the way that we choose to live our life and the actions that we take. How do we know what is right? He tells us in various ways - through His word in the bible, through those around us. We must open our eyes, ears and heart to God, who speaks to us in many ways. He will shape us through the situations that He puts us in, through the example of those around us, and through our reading of His word.
But at the same time, the answer is also "no" - we cannot be holy simply in the life that we lead (on our own). We must open ourselves to allow God to work in our lives... we must make ourselves "passive" enough to allow God to shape us; to allow Him to be the driver in our life, to take us where He wills. In order to do this, we must let go and trust in Him.
What does this mean?
It means that there is a fine balance between taking action and being receptive. It is a fine line between "letting go" and letting God control our life, but also still being proactive enough to do what He asks of us, and living a full life. We must learn to listen for Him - His call is gentle and inviting, not a harsh gong that will hit us over the head. We must not spend our whole lives waiting for some "sign" that will tell us what to do and how to live our lives - instead, we must do the best that we can, pray along the way and listen out for His whispering His directions to us. This is His call for us to be holy.
After a bit of thinking and praying, I realised that both answers led to the same place.
Yes, we make ourselves holy by the way that we choose to live our life and the actions that we take. How do we know what is right? He tells us in various ways - through His word in the bible, through those around us. We must open our eyes, ears and heart to God, who speaks to us in many ways. He will shape us through the situations that He puts us in, through the example of those around us, and through our reading of His word.
But at the same time, the answer is also "no" - we cannot be holy simply in the life that we lead (on our own). We must open ourselves to allow God to work in our lives... we must make ourselves "passive" enough to allow God to shape us; to allow Him to be the driver in our life, to take us where He wills. In order to do this, we must let go and trust in Him.
What does this mean?
It means that there is a fine balance between taking action and being receptive. It is a fine line between "letting go" and letting God control our life, but also still being proactive enough to do what He asks of us, and living a full life. We must learn to listen for Him - His call is gentle and inviting, not a harsh gong that will hit us over the head. We must not spend our whole lives waiting for some "sign" that will tell us what to do and how to live our lives - instead, we must do the best that we can, pray along the way and listen out for His whispering His directions to us. This is His call for us to be holy.
Labels:
faith,
Invitation,
journey,
Reflections,
trust,
works
The Power of the Tongue
This is an essay in response to: "The best-loved person in town would perish with anguish could they hear all that their friends say in the course of a day" - John Hay.
Please feel free to critique :D
---------------------------------------------------------------
The Power of the Tongue
- Written by Jessica Chao
The tongue is a very powerful organ, it can strike at a persons’ heart without exerting much effort and it can also mend broken hearts. The most trusted and loved person in town would have bleeding ears if they were to hear everything that their friends have to say within a day. From gossip to news, conversations are constant and words can be twisted to form an even more entertaining version of the news. It is a craft that has been passed down for many generations.
To be in a circle of friends involves trust and an honest relationship. Seeing the effects of my sister and her best friends’ relationship perish as a result of gossiping behind her back shows the power of the tongue. Not only were there gossip, the words told were transformed into lies which served as a source of safety and comfort for her best friends’ insecurity. But where does this insecurity come from? There is absolute trust in the relationship; it was a lack of self-trust that is hard to identify by any persons, especially an outsider.
The insecurities that people have, readily leads them into cursing other people in order to elevate themselves on a mental platform. However, the victim is affected by these direct or indirect words, because ultimately the words spoken are curses which are heard by people, God and all forms of angels. Even if the victim can’t hear the curses, eventually it would reveal itself slowly like capillary action that overspills; such as the spread of Kevin Rudd’s strip club experience across all media, where many people were so eager to judge him.
Once the victim hears of the gossip, even if he or she is the best-loved, well tempered person in town, thoughts about friendship and trust would deteriorate. Turning into anger, defense and possibly isolation of relationships as I have seen with my sisters’ ‘best friend’. This is a lesson that lasts a lifetime, yet many people find it hard to trust again because they felt immense hurt and betrayed.
The tongue is best when it’s controlled with mindful hearts. It is a source of healing the broken and curses that lasts a long time.
Please feel free to critique :D
---------------------------------------------------------------
The Power of the Tongue
- Written by Jessica Chao
The tongue is a very powerful organ, it can strike at a persons’ heart without exerting much effort and it can also mend broken hearts. The most trusted and loved person in town would have bleeding ears if they were to hear everything that their friends have to say within a day. From gossip to news, conversations are constant and words can be twisted to form an even more entertaining version of the news. It is a craft that has been passed down for many generations.
To be in a circle of friends involves trust and an honest relationship. Seeing the effects of my sister and her best friends’ relationship perish as a result of gossiping behind her back shows the power of the tongue. Not only were there gossip, the words told were transformed into lies which served as a source of safety and comfort for her best friends’ insecurity. But where does this insecurity come from? There is absolute trust in the relationship; it was a lack of self-trust that is hard to identify by any persons, especially an outsider.
The insecurities that people have, readily leads them into cursing other people in order to elevate themselves on a mental platform. However, the victim is affected by these direct or indirect words, because ultimately the words spoken are curses which are heard by people, God and all forms of angels. Even if the victim can’t hear the curses, eventually it would reveal itself slowly like capillary action that overspills; such as the spread of Kevin Rudd’s strip club experience across all media, where many people were so eager to judge him.
Once the victim hears of the gossip, even if he or she is the best-loved, well tempered person in town, thoughts about friendship and trust would deteriorate. Turning into anger, defense and possibly isolation of relationships as I have seen with my sisters’ ‘best friend’. This is a lesson that lasts a lifetime, yet many people find it hard to trust again because they felt immense hurt and betrayed.
The tongue is best when it’s controlled with mindful hearts. It is a source of healing the broken and curses that lasts a long time.
Labels:
Essay
Faith Active in Love Witnesses to the Free Gift of Justification in Christ - Pope Benedict XVI
This is an excerpt and it really shows that our strength in faith is SO important.
-------------------------------------------------------
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In the Catechesis last Wednesday I spoke of how man is justified before God. Following St. Paul, we have seen that man is unable to "justify" himself with his own actions, but can only truly become "just" before God because God confers his "justice" upon him, uniting him to Christ his Son. And man obtains this union through faith.
In this sense, St. Paul tells us: not our deeds, but rather faith renders us "just". This faith, however, is not a thought, an opinion, an idea. This faith is communion with Christ, which the Lord gives to us, and thus becomes life, becomes conformity with him. Or — to use different words — faith, if it is true, if it is real, becomes love, becomes charity, is expressed in charity. A faith without charity, without this fruit, would not be true faith. It would be a dead faith.
Thus, in our last Catechesis, we discovered two levels: that of the insignificance of our actions and of our deeds to achieve salvation, and that of "justification" through faith which produces the fruit of the Spirit.
The confusion of these two levels has caused more than a few misunderstandings in Christianity over the course of centuries. In this context it is important that St. Paul, in the same Letter to the Galatians radically accentuates, on the one hand, the freely given nature of justification that is not dependent on our works, but which at the same time also emphasizes the relationship between faith and charity, between faith and works:
"In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love" (Gal 5:6). Consequently, there are on the one hand "works of the flesh", which are "immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry..." (Gal 5:19-20): all works that are contrary to the faith; on the other, there is the action of the Holy Spirit who nourishes Christian life, inspiring "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal 5:22-23). These are the fruits of the Spirit that blossom from faith.
--------
I really like the following passage:
--------
We would be underselling the inestimable value of justification, purchased at the high price of Christ's Blood, if we were not to glorify him with our body. In fact, our worship — at the same time reasonable and spiritual — is exactly this, which is why St. Paul exhorts us "to present [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" (Rm 12:1).
-------------------------------------------------------
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In the Catechesis last Wednesday I spoke of how man is justified before God. Following St. Paul, we have seen that man is unable to "justify" himself with his own actions, but can only truly become "just" before God because God confers his "justice" upon him, uniting him to Christ his Son. And man obtains this union through faith.
In this sense, St. Paul tells us: not our deeds, but rather faith renders us "just". This faith, however, is not a thought, an opinion, an idea. This faith is communion with Christ, which the Lord gives to us, and thus becomes life, becomes conformity with him. Or — to use different words — faith, if it is true, if it is real, becomes love, becomes charity, is expressed in charity. A faith without charity, without this fruit, would not be true faith. It would be a dead faith.
Thus, in our last Catechesis, we discovered two levels: that of the insignificance of our actions and of our deeds to achieve salvation, and that of "justification" through faith which produces the fruit of the Spirit.
The confusion of these two levels has caused more than a few misunderstandings in Christianity over the course of centuries. In this context it is important that St. Paul, in the same Letter to the Galatians radically accentuates, on the one hand, the freely given nature of justification that is not dependent on our works, but which at the same time also emphasizes the relationship between faith and charity, between faith and works:
"In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love" (Gal 5:6). Consequently, there are on the one hand "works of the flesh", which are "immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry..." (Gal 5:19-20): all works that are contrary to the faith; on the other, there is the action of the Holy Spirit who nourishes Christian life, inspiring "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal 5:22-23). These are the fruits of the Spirit that blossom from faith.
--------
I really like the following passage:
--------
We would be underselling the inestimable value of justification, purchased at the high price of Christ's Blood, if we were not to glorify him with our body. In fact, our worship — at the same time reasonable and spiritual — is exactly this, which is why St. Paul exhorts us "to present [our] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" (Rm 12:1).
Labels:
faith,
Pope Benedict XVI,
works
Jesus - All About Life
2009 is going to be a super exciting year with major advertising campaigns running on prime-time media to raise awareness about our loving God Jesus!!! What's even more exciting is the unity of 14 different churches and denominations collaborating to serve God. These are the supporters of this campaign:
* Sydney Anglican Diocese
* Salvation Army
* NSW Baptist Churches
* Churches of Christ
* Hillsong
* Assemblies of God (Australian
Christian Churches)
* Christian City Church, Oxford Falls
* Christian Brethren Assemblies
* Uniting Church, NSW Synod
* Wesley Mission, Sydney
* Congregational Churches
* NSW Council of Churches
* Scripture Union
* Seventh Day Adventist Church
Check out the advertisements and more information about the campaign on the following websites:
http://www.jesusallaboutlife.com.au
http://allaboutlife.com.au
http://www.biblesocietynsw.com.au/jaalsydney2009
* Sydney Anglican Diocese
* Salvation Army
* NSW Baptist Churches
* Churches of Christ
* Hillsong
* Assemblies of God (Australian
Christian Churches)
* Christian City Church, Oxford Falls
* Christian Brethren Assemblies
* Uniting Church, NSW Synod
* Wesley Mission, Sydney
* Congregational Churches
* NSW Council of Churches
* Scripture Union
* Seventh Day Adventist Church
Check out the advertisements and more information about the campaign on the following websites:
http://www.jesusallaboutlife.com.au
http://allaboutlife.com.au
http://www.biblesocietynsw.com.au/jaalsydney2009
Labels:
advertising campaign
“The Lonely Toil.”
"Loneliness And The Feeling Of Being Unwanted Is The Most Terrible Poverty." - Mother Teresa.
Below is an essay that I wrote. Please provide a critique and other thoughts - I'm very interested to know what else Mother Teresa has said about this.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“The Lonely Toil.”
Written by Jessica Chao 1/1/09
As people rush to meet deadlines, attend meetings and doing errands in this time-poor society; who is there to attend to those who are lonely? Loneliness and the feelings of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty, indeed. We live busy lives attending to needs, rather than living the life of fulfilling relationships. Both loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted stems from the lack of love which is essential for our lives.
In my early years as a graduate, I have lived a lonely life working for investment banks where every second and every cent are highly valued figures. As I spent fourteen hours working from day to night at an efficient pace, I learnt to value these figures and evolved into a true investment banker working more than five days a week. Time passes by and I began to feel lonely, empty, and finally an urge to fill the void within my heart. I searched for remedies to remove this void; from shopping to entertainment and living a life of luxuries. Yet none of these were sufficient. Without realizing what I’m truly missing, I’m trapped in this downward spiral, unable to unveil my eyes.
However, I caught a glimpse of light from my long lost friends who acted like angels in disguise. In my weakness, their strength helped nurture my spirit and their abundant joy became my solace. Through their joy, I hoped to remove my loneliness. Soon I felt their light penetrate deep into my soul as my eyes were unveiled, being able to truly see the worth of life, love and relationships.
Oh how wonderful is the strength of love – it is a strong bond that is capable of healing loneliness and flourishes the individuals’ heart. Love is patient, love is kind, it cares more for others than for self and love doesn’t fear; for we willingly nestle in the comfort of love to enjoy its embrace.
I am now so blessed to have friendships that truly touch my life. My friends are so generous in their love, compassion, joy and laughter. They colour my world with a rainbow everyday and turn it upside down into an endless smile for me, expelling all traces of loneliness.
When I realized the worth of life, love and relationships; my values, priorities and lifestyle changed accordingly. To be able to share my time and my love is now a high priority, for it is the richest gift I can give to people. No longer do I toil without love, for what value does it bring if I profit money but lose my love, joy and become lonely? Indeed, loneliness is torturous; it is a poverty of emotions where the individual is unable to share feelings with other people. But as one reaches out to the lonely, the lonely will feel whole again.
Below is an essay that I wrote. Please provide a critique and other thoughts - I'm very interested to know what else Mother Teresa has said about this.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“The Lonely Toil.”
Written by Jessica Chao 1/1/09
As people rush to meet deadlines, attend meetings and doing errands in this time-poor society; who is there to attend to those who are lonely? Loneliness and the feelings of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty, indeed. We live busy lives attending to needs, rather than living the life of fulfilling relationships. Both loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted stems from the lack of love which is essential for our lives.
In my early years as a graduate, I have lived a lonely life working for investment banks where every second and every cent are highly valued figures. As I spent fourteen hours working from day to night at an efficient pace, I learnt to value these figures and evolved into a true investment banker working more than five days a week. Time passes by and I began to feel lonely, empty, and finally an urge to fill the void within my heart. I searched for remedies to remove this void; from shopping to entertainment and living a life of luxuries. Yet none of these were sufficient. Without realizing what I’m truly missing, I’m trapped in this downward spiral, unable to unveil my eyes.
However, I caught a glimpse of light from my long lost friends who acted like angels in disguise. In my weakness, their strength helped nurture my spirit and their abundant joy became my solace. Through their joy, I hoped to remove my loneliness. Soon I felt their light penetrate deep into my soul as my eyes were unveiled, being able to truly see the worth of life, love and relationships.
Oh how wonderful is the strength of love – it is a strong bond that is capable of healing loneliness and flourishes the individuals’ heart. Love is patient, love is kind, it cares more for others than for self and love doesn’t fear; for we willingly nestle in the comfort of love to enjoy its embrace.
I am now so blessed to have friendships that truly touch my life. My friends are so generous in their love, compassion, joy and laughter. They colour my world with a rainbow everyday and turn it upside down into an endless smile for me, expelling all traces of loneliness.
When I realized the worth of life, love and relationships; my values, priorities and lifestyle changed accordingly. To be able to share my time and my love is now a high priority, for it is the richest gift I can give to people. No longer do I toil without love, for what value does it bring if I profit money but lose my love, joy and become lonely? Indeed, loneliness is torturous; it is a poverty of emotions where the individual is unable to share feelings with other people. But as one reaches out to the lonely, the lonely will feel whole again.
Labels:
Essay,
Loneliness,
Love,
Mother Teresa
New Year 2009
As the sun rises to my left and the feeling of peace and contentment descends from on high, I sit here and type my musings to the new year (slightly before 7am). This will be a new year of peace, hope, LOVE, prosperity and growth.
May the Triune God - the loving creator the Father, His most precious and beloved Son Jesus our Lord and Christ, and the blessed Holy Spirit be with you all this year! How wonderful it will be to see everyone on fire for God :D and resting in his love, drinking deep from the waters of faith...~
May the Triune God - the loving creator the Father, His most precious and beloved Son Jesus our Lord and Christ, and the blessed Holy Spirit be with you all this year! How wonderful it will be to see everyone on fire for God :D and resting in his love, drinking deep from the waters of faith...~
Labels:
God's love,
life
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