Sigh....

Everyone who is from my generation are already working and those who are about one generation ahead of me are already married. I am still stuck in 3rd year of university. Sigh...I am so slow. Why wasn't I serious about my future plans when I was younger, so I could avoid all the delays?

Oh well...I guess I have to live with the consequences.

A long Hiatus

Yes, it has been ages since I last updated my blog. Its not dead though, just outdated. (It is 'up' and 'out' :p)

Final exams are coming for me and that will mark the end of another term. From the last post until now, many things have taken place in my life, too much to fit into one blog post. But I'll probably mention them as time goes along it's merry way.

So, until then, i'll probably just drop random one-liner thoughts in here while I think what I want to write. Haha.

PS: I think my c-box has become a victim of spam. anyone know how to remove it? hehe.

Ian

It has been awhile....

Yeah. It has been a looongg while since I touched my blog. A combination of factors contributed to this negligence, including studies, laziness and clueless on what to blog about. But since it is Christmas, I should definitely write something.

This Christmas marks my second Christmas away from Malaysia and one year four months away from home. Even as I write this, my heart is heavy. Many things happened, some just this week and some over the course of the past couple of months. To bluntly state my feelings now, I feel confused and sad. Though I am not at liberty to go into detail on this public domain, it is quite a depressing time for me. I hope I can recover before the term re-opens. Feeling lost, confused and losing the will to continue is not something I should bring to the new year.

Anyway, I am surprised at how fast time has past. It is one year and four months already. I have only 2 years and 8 months to go before I return to Malaysia. I hope time continues to fly this fast.

While in Canada, I continue to learn many things, about myself and about life. I am challenged at all levels, physical and spiritual. As time passes, these challenges become stronger and harder. As a result, I run to God more often to depend on Him. I heard the pastor at my church said once that God wants us to depend on Him. I can therefore infer that God wants me to depend on him more and purposefully put all these challenges in my path to teach me this truth.

My thoughts about Christmas. Hmm. Everyone is busy as usual. From Facebook, I see carolling, parties, and the like. I used to take part in those. Playing guitar for carolling (not good at it but wayyy better than my singing. I can't sing to save my life), going for dinner with family and friends, helping out in Christmas cantata with the sound system, etc. But since I came to Canada, I do not take part in all this. I just usually have dinner with my friends, attend a Christmas Eve service at my church and thats it. It is a change from all the hustle and bustle. A part of me misses those things.

But enough of this relatively depressing post. Don't want to ruin the Christmas cheer. lol.

Before this post gets too long with my griping, I wish everyone a Blessed Christmas!

Random Thought

Everyone wants the latest gadgets (iphone 4, blackberry's, etc) probably because they want to feel special. "Ooo. Look! I got an iphone 4!" or on Facebook statuses "I got an itouch!" or whatever..you get the point.

You say, "wait, I don't them to feel special. I get them because they are useful". Are you so sure? Or is it an excuse? What is a phone for? Basic function is to call and send sms. Why on earth do you need a RM1k plus phone to perform the same function a RM100 phone can do? Simple reason: you want to be 'in'. I dare anyone to deny this.

But you say, "oh. i can surf internet, play my farmville, stalk facebook with my iphone". ok. i grant this to you. it is a handy function. i can write paragraphs on the pros and cons of this but i won't here as it will be too long. the key points are: it is distracting, expensive, and uncomfortable. but my main point is this: what is a laptop/desktop for? enough said.

But I love the irony. You get those stuff to feel special. But wait...everyone else is getting the same stuff as you. Not very special now, aren't you?

people wonder why the CEO's of Apple, RIM, etc are so rich. I offer my theory. It is because people want to feel special. So, they market a new gadget and advertise it such that 'if you get this, you are special'. then, everyone buys it. then, when everyone has the gadget and does not feel special anymore, they come to the rescue with a new product to make you feel special. Thus, the vicious cycle repeats.

some random thought. :P

Questions on my mind

There are 2 questions which I have been thinking and reading for quite some time now and still can't find a satisfactory answer. I need to look more into these 'interesting' questions. Here they are:

1) How do people use the Bible to justify homosexuality (and other abnormal sexual relationships)?

2) How do people use the Bible to justify divorce?

Feel free to leave comments. :p

A Covenant Prayer in the Wesleyan Tradition

To remind myself of the covenant made between God and I.

"I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. Amen."


from: The United Methodist Hymnal, 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House

"If you believe in Jesus Christ,...."

"...put this on your wall. Don't ignore this because the Bible says: if you deny him, he will deny you in front of his father in the Gates of Heaven. This is the simplest test, If you love God and you are not ashamed of it, copy this and put it on your wall"

I have been seeing stuff like this circulating on a couple of friend's Facebook wall. What I am going to say in response to this also applies to similar messages receive through email.

Ok. How would I start...hmm...

Messages like these always quote the famous verse from Matthew 10:32-33. Well...let us look at the preceding verses. I quote from Matthew 10: 26-31.

"So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. "

Notice that from verse 26 onwards, it talks of 'what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the rooftops.' Quite obviously, Jesus is speaking of the Gospel. He then goes on to encourage and reassure his disciples to not be afraid of men but to find assurance in God. After that, comes the misquoted verse.

Why do I say misquoted? Well...look at the words of the message again (and even those in emails). Can you tell me where is the Gospel? Where is the sinfulness of Man iterated? Where is the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus as propitiation for our sins? Where is the call of the Gospel,i.e. "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins" (Acts 2:38) ? I dare/challenge anyone to show me because I can't seem to find it. I may need spectacles.

All the message says is , "If you believe in Jesus Christ..". Well...lets see what James 2:19 says:

"You believe there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder"

Boy, I love this verse. The sarcastic undertones amuses me. Oh...and how about the other verse in Matthew that says:

"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)

Well, from the verses I quoted, seems there is more than just copy-pasting some random message on your Facebook wall or forwarding some random email. If you are truly unashamed as you say you are, go and paste the actual Gospel on your wall for a change and stop hiding behind empty words. Yeah, you are shouting from the rooftops but you are shouting nonsense.

No, seriously. The messages/emails are empty and meaningless. Even Muslims believe in Jesus Christ. But they believe he is just a great prophet. They believe that he is NOT the Son of God. So, what do you mean, "If you believe in Jesus Christ.." ? Which Jesus are you referring to?

And any sensible thinking person will know that this sort of thing is just intending to spam. And whoever blindly follows and forwards/paste this sort of messages is just spreading spam for free.