Musings

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

I have always seen this song as one of encouragement. To me, this song had always been about turning one’s eyes to Jesus when life is hard. Gazing upon His wonderful face in times of trouble, His glory and grace making those hardships dim.

But today I just realised, that it can also mean so much more than that. It is also a call to turn and focus our eyes on Him, even when things are going well. He should be our life’s focus. So many times we get distracted with all sorts of stuff. Things like work, tasks at hand, the endless quest for more stuff, popularity, romantic relationships, and all the other things that keep us too busy to focus on Him. They all just seem so important, significant and urgent. But when we do fix our eyes on Jesus, all these things no longer seem so important or significant anymore. As the song says, the things of earth will grow strangely dim.

When we are once again at awe with our Saviour, nothing else seems as important. It’s like falling in love all over again. When people are truly, madly, deeply in love, everything else seems to take second importance. The lover comes first. And likewise, our relationship with God should be like that. Fixing our focus on Him, wanting what He wants in our life, in our world. He comes first, above all else, above the things of earth. He is, the center of not just the universe, but our own personal world, our lives. Will we make that decision to make Him the center of our lives, our world?

Oh Christ be the center of our lives
Be the place we fix our eyes
Be the center of our lives

You’re the center of the universe
Everything was made in You Jesus
Breath of every living thing
Everyone was made for You

You hold everything together
You hold everything together

Oh Christ be the center of our lives
Be the place we fix our eyes
Be the center of our lives

Oh Christ be the center of our lives
Be the place we fix our eyes
Be the center of our lives

You’re the center of the universe
Everything was made in You Jesus
Breath of every living thing
Everyone was made for You

You hold everything together
You hold everything together
You hold everything together
You hold everything together

Oh Christ be the center of our lives
Be the place we fix our eyes
Be the center of our lives

We lift our eyes to heaven
We wrap our lives around your life
We lift our eyes to heaven, to You

We lift our eyes to heaven
We wrap our lives around your life
We lift our eyes to heaven, to You

Oh Christ be the center of our lives
Be the place we fix our eyes
Be the center of our lives
Center of our lives

We lift our eyes to heaven
We wrap our lives around your life
We lift our eyes to heaven, to You

We lift our eyes to heaven
We wrap our lives around your life
We lift our eyes to heaven, to You

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

P.S. It was a "Woah..." moment for me when I listened to the video above. I was just looking for the song Center by Charlie Hall on YouTube when I came upon this one. Let it load, then listen. And low and behold, at the end they have that song passage I was writing about. Totally unplanned and unaware. God is amazing. =)

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I watched Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant some time ago. One line from the movie stuck out to me.

*Spoiler warning. If you don't like spoilers, please watch the movie first before reading the following post*

Towards the end of the movie, the main character of the movie needs to drink blood to gain strength so he can fight the enemy. His interest, a monkey girl, offers him her blood for that very reason. However, he is reluctant to do so because he fears he will lose the last bit of him that is still human. Then, she says these words:

Being human is not about what you are, but who you are.

And it stuck with me. So often times, we have allowed ourselves to be defined by what we are. We make the circumstances that make us what we are, over shadow the who that we are. For example, what the the common replies that people say about themselves? One would be what they work as. It’s even in the sentence structure. The sentence would go “I am a doctor,” for example. Or “I am a teacher.” We have let the occupation, define the person. What we do, makes us who we are, and not who we are that makes us do what we do.

Another example. We have many stereotypes for people. We have the nerds, the sporty type, the outcasts, etc. Each, we let their habits or activities define who they are to us. If someone likes to study we label him or her as a nerd. Is someone is into sports we then label him as the jock. Then there’s the emo-s, the goths, and all the other labels we make. Defining people by what they are, and not who they are. Stereotyping.

Now, sometimes it seems just fine to do so. I mean, it helps us recognise people. We instantly recognise who the topic of conversation is when people mention their stereotypical characteristics. But if that’s all we see to them, then I think we’re losing out on getting to know some awesome people. People just don’t always are who they appear to be. What they are, isn’t who they are. Some people who seem all so cool and popular, may just be total jerks, or just not as fun as we think. And those who we think just couldn’t be fun and are just bland, may just be among the most fun and awesome people we could ever know. Or some who we think are just superficial and have no substance, may just be deep wells overflowing with insight and can have deep conversations with. Or the person who you thought you could never be friends with, then finding out they are among the best friends you could ever have. Are we forsaking getting to know people for who they are because of what we think they are?

Now let’s go deeper. On a deeper level, it is still true that being human is not just about being born a human. There are monsters in human skin. Just because you are a homo sapien, doesn’t mean you are a man (or woman). If you act like a total jerk, or an animal, or worst still a total whacko, you aren’t really human anymore. Where’s the traits like logic, compassion, love, that makes us human? We are human because we possess those. The ability to think above just the natural instincts to survive, to ponder the expanse of the universe, and the wonderful gift of life. The appreciation and awe for the beauty of creation and the creative spirit of man. The ability to feel, not just our own emotions, but also the emotions of others. To be a real community, that supports and encourages one another, who mourn and weep together, and congratulates and celebrates together. And above all, to realise and live out love, and to have a real relationship with one another and with our Creator. If we lose all that, are we still humans, even if we belong to the species?

So think about it. Are we really who we are, not letting the what take precedence over the who? Are we putting images over people that hide the real them from us? What does the quote speak to you about?

Being human is not about what you are, but who you are.

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This post came about by me stumbling upon a single quote by Martin Luther King Jr. After some quote searching, I found the others. The man had said many things that I find are very applicable to our current situation. These quotes are taken from multiple speeches. I have arranged them in hopes that it would flow together.

Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.

Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies - or else? The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.

That old law about 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing.

Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.

It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.

Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.

Let no man pull you low enough to hate him.

Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.

The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human and, therefore, brothers.

We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.

I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.

Words of wisdom from a man who gave his life fighting against injustice with love. So people, like he said, hate will just bring everyone down. Let us not hate. Christians especially, let us follow the lead of Jesus Christ. Let us love one another. Don't let anyone pull you low enough to hate. Let us not be bitter. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love. Who better to show us how than Love Himself?

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This song seems to be rather appropriate at this moment with what has been going on. It presents a challenge, as well as a good line of action. I will explain further after the song.

Falling on my knees in worship
Giving all I am to seek Your face
Lord all I am is Yours

My whole life
I place in Your hands
God of Mercy
Humbled I bow down
In Your presence at Your throne

I called, You answered
And You came to my rescue and I,
Wanna be where You are

My whole life
I place in Your hands
God of Mercy
Humbled I bow down
In Your presence at Your throne

I called, You answered
And You came to my rescue and I,
Wanna be where You are

I called, You answered
And You came to my rescue and I,
Wanna be where You are

In my life be lifted high
In our world be lifted high
In our love be lifted high
Higher, higher

In my life be lifted high
In our world be lifted high
In our love be lifted high
Higher, higher

In my life be lifted high
In our world be lifted high
In our love be lifted high

I called, You answered
And You came to my rescue and I,
Wanna be where You are

Falling on my knees in worship

This is the time that we should be falling on our knees, in prayer and in worship. Even in times like this, when things seem uncertain, we should worship Him, because He deserves all our praise. We need to declare sometimes, of who He is, and with that, build our faith and trust in Him. And of course, we need to pray too, and to seek His direction.

Giving all I am to seek Your face
Lord all I am is Yours

My whole life
I place in Your hands
God of Mercy
Humbled I bow down
In Your presence at Your throne

Will we give all we are to seek His face in times like this? Will we say, that all we are is His? Place our lives into His hands. Commit ourselves to Him. Humbled, we lay ourselves down at His presence, at His throne, surrendering ourselves into His hands, because we know He will deliver us. Will we do that? Do we have that faith to believe that He is in control, that He will protect and guide us, comfort us, see us through the storms?

I called, You answered
And You came to my rescue and I,
Wanna be where You are

The first part is in past tense. It means that we have seen Him come through before. Let us have faith that He will do it again when we call on His name. The second part, is a challenge. Will we want to be where He is? Do we want to be lead by Him, to respond the way He wants us to respond in the current situation? Again, will we seek after Him, to the place that He is?

And this is how we should respond:

In my life be lifted high
In our world be lifted high
In our love be lifted high

Let Him be lifted high in our lives. Let us show that He is real in our lives. And to point to Him in all our actions and ways, in the way we respond. Lift Him high in our world. He reigns here, and so let's declare it together that He does, that He is in control. Lift Him high in this situation. Lift Him high in our nation. And in our love, lift Him high. Let us show God's love. Let us obey His command to love our enemies. To love them, the way Jesus loves them. Let our love, reflect His love. And in doing so, may He be lifted high and glorified. And the world will know, that He is real. And that we are His.

P.S. More good stuff to read here, and here. *Click*

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I'm sure most of us know what has recently happened in Malaysia. Go google for news if you don't. But I don't want to go into the specifics of what's going on. This is not a news report. Many would have written their views on this, and I don't exactly want to dwell deep in it either. I will just leave you with these thoughts.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalms 23:4

You know what, even when things seem bleak, and I literally walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I pray I will not fear, and will stand up for You. I do not condone violence. We cannot retaliate with violence. It would be stupid. It will only make things worse. Proverbs 10:12 says "Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins." Let us not fight in anger. We do not need to wage a holy war against people. We are not to hate these people. But instead to love them. We fight against injustice with love, not with a sword.

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Matthew 5:44,45

Pray people, that's the best thing you can do. It is not to take up weapons, but to appeal to the Highest Authority.

Finally, a closing quote from Pastor Andy Yeoh.

Timely reminder that the Church is more than juz a building. Buildings can b destroyed by fire, but a "church on fire" does not easily fall!

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back
I know You are near

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We’ll live to know You here on the earth

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me
You keep on loving and You never let go

Singing  oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You

Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me
(So strong, so wise, so loving....)

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me
Lord, You never let go of me

P.S. Click here, here, and here for some other individuals' own views that I have found to be worth a read.

P.P.S. Please people, let's not wage jihad over this? A Malay proverb to ponder on: Menang jadi arang, kalah jadi abu.

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My friend recently made a really interesting statement on his Facebook. It went:

Life is a roller coaster... Just gotta ride it

And I'm like, "Hey, that's very true actually." Life, like a roller coaster, is full of ups and downs. Life is not just good all the time, nor is it just spiralling down. There will be high points in life, as well as low points. Like he said, you just have to ride it. Get on the roller coaster. Have you fun while in those situations. You go down, but there will be a hill up ahead. Just have to stick it out and wait for it. Roller coasters are there for your enjoyment aren't they? Life is meant to be lived to the fullest.

Then, another person made an interesting comment to on that update. It went:

But sometimes you fly out of it and die.

And again, true isn't it? Life can really throw you around just like in a roller coaster. And at times people do get derailed. The momentum and movement of it all thrashing them. But, you only fly out of the roller coaster if you didn't put on your safety belt! Or if you didn't fasten them properly. In our own life, the safety belt is like boundaries that we live by, the guidelines. It inhibits our movements somewhat, stopping us from moving freely like standing up during a ride. Same as boundaries we put in our lives. They stop us from doing things that we shouldn't, stopping absolute freedom. The reason safety belts and boundaries are there, are to keep us safe first and foremost. They stop us from doing crazy things that will ultimately harms us. Or quite literally, cause us to fall out of the roller coaster of life and die.

Another thing, or more accurately a person, that safety belts can also represent is God. He is the security that keeps us from harm, as long as we choose to listen to Him and follow Him.

So, life is a roller coaster ride, with all its ups and downs. There will be bumpy rides in life, as well as times that we enjoy and cherish. Whatever the ride has to offer, just buckle your seat belt, and enjoy the ride....

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Again, this post is rather random and sudden. But I feel the real gut feeling that I need to post this up.

I've been going through the blogs of some people I know, and learnt that some people have been going through some stuff. Don't we all though? It's the new years, and many of us take this as a time of reflection besides the celebrations. And 2009 would mean a lot of things for a lot of people. Some more fortunate would say it was a good year for them. For others, it could be the year they would rather forget. For me, the year is a mix of good and bad, in our own terms. Good because I've seen and learnt so much. I've seen people grow, and how God has moved so mightily in my life and in the lives of others. Bad because there was some bitter and painful moments. But isn't every year also sprinkled with bad experiences? There is no perfect year. It will always be a mixture of good and bad.

This song goes out to those that 2009 has been a painful year. It is also for those who are facing painful situations right now, wherever those situations may be. At home, at school, at college, at work, wherever. It is a good reminder, that there is always a brand new day. A new hope, especially when that hope is focused on the Constant in life, Jesus Christ. His unfailing love endures forever. He is the one hope that will never fade. It's up to you to hold on to it.

I'm waking up
The world is turning
The sun is shining again
I'm holding on
To things I shouldn't
It's time to let them go
I've been on a losing streak
Hit so hard I couldn't speak
But when I hear Your voice it fades away

And I can hear You say
It's a brand new day
The pain goes away
And I'm headed for the door
And I'm going home (I'm going home)
I'm going home (I'm going home)

Your love, it burns
Away my darkness
You guide me when I'm blind
You are the light
That shines inside me
Showing me I'm
So much more
When I've been on a losing streak
Hit so hard I couldn't speak
But when I hear Your voice it fades away

And I can hear You say
It's a brand new day
The pain goes away
And I'm headed for the door
And I'm going home (I'm going home)
I'm going home (I'm going home)

Take me into Your arms
My home lies within
In Your heart

And I can hear You say
It's a brand new day

And I can hear You say
It's a brand new day
The pain goes away
And I'm headed for the door

And I can hear You say
It's a brand new day
The pain goes away
And I'm headed for the door
And now I'm going home (I'm going home)
I'm going home (I'm going home)
I'm going home (I'm going home)
I'm going home (I'm going home)

So, to everyone out there who is hurting, or going through tough situations, or had a painful and tough 2009, I tell you this. It's a brand new day. It is all in the past. We cannot change what has already happened. But we have tomorrow to look forward to. Again I say, it's a brand new day. The pain goes away. Listen to His voice, that tells you "It's a brand new day." Sing like the vocalist, to "Take me in Your arms." Hope is calling out to you. Will you make you home in His heart? The heart that is bigger than all your problems, all your issues, all your challenges. A heart over flowing with love for all mankind. And you specifically.

It's time to let go, of the things that we hold on to that we shouldn't. Let go of the pain and the hurt. And embrace the love of Christ. Let's head for the door, and go home. (Now with that I DO NOT mean that we commit suicide, just to make it clear. Life's too precious to waste it like that.)

Will you make your home in His heart? I know I have. And it is an awesome feeling to have such a great hope. I pray you find it too. The sun is shining again. It's a brand new day. Hello New Day. Hello 2010. I know you will be great, for Greater Things have yet to come....

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Last week, I watched the movie Avatar in 3D with a bunch of friends. The movies animation is really good. The story line was not bad. However, I would be cautious about the spirituality of the movie. But I'm not writing this to promote the movie. Like the title, it's about some lessons or things that I noticed throughout the movie, and so will a few more posts.

*Spoiler warnings. If you don't like spoilers, please watch the movie first before reading the following post(s)*

The first theme that I noticed pretty early on in the movie, is living double lives or being two faced. In the movie, the main character is someone who has double lives, one as a regular human, an ex marine, and the other one would be in his avatar, as one of the natives. And besides those two main lives, his human life is further complicated by being a double agent, working for both the research team, which is what he was assigned to, and the military and management.

Now later on the movie, we learn that the lead character faces an identity crisis. At the beginning, he is still able to tell who he is, what characters he's supposed to be playing out. But later as he continues to live the various lives that he has made or been made to live, he begins to lose who he really is. He's no longer sure if he's supposed to be human, or be one of the natives. Then there is the conflict on interest between the interests of the research team and the interests of the management, whereby the researchers want to learn about the natives, their culture, and the world that is known as Pandora, and the management who want to extract all the riches in Pandora (more about this in a later post). And when the secret of his double life got out, it just caused a lot of hurt to those whom he loved and cared for, especially those who had trusted him.

So lesson #1 that I've learnt, is the danger of living two lives. It can also be just another life at certain times, like masks that we wear. We all live with masks at some point in our lives. We put on another face for whatever reasons we may have. Sometimes it's insecurities, other times it's to hide some part or parts that we think or know are not good and cannot be reveal. We have secret lives, with all it's dirty secrets. And we live another, so called "clean" life when we're out in the open. Like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde.

Continually living a double life can and will lead to a blur of our perception of reality. Live too long in another made up life and you will begin to forget which is actually you. Like the main character said after some time, the lines of realitity begin to blur. In his own words, "Everything is backwards now, like out there is the true world and in here is the dream." You slowly forget which is the real you until oneday, you just don't remember if you keep at it and if reality doesn't keep knocking at your door. At the end of the day, if someone where to ask you "Who are you?", can you answer truthfully?

Also like in the movie, the lies used to build that other life keeps deepening as you work to keep that other life alive. And it's just going to hurt you and those you care about. Not every story ends with a happy ending like in the movie. Sometimes the hurt can be so bad that relationships are severed totally. And there you lose those treasured relationships, gone forever because of what you have decided to do.

So, let's reflect in our own lives. Are we living double lives? Is there any part that we are trying to hide, whether out of shame, guilt, to look cool, or just to fit in? If there are skeletons in the closet, I'd suggest finding one or two people you can trust, and coming clean. It will take a huge load off your shoulders and free you to to face those challenges, with the added strength of accountability. If it is to fit in, maybe it's time people saw the real you. It's their choice on whether to accept you or not, but I'd say if they really do love and care for you as friend or family, they would care enough to accept the real you, maybe even glad to see the real you.

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Peace be upon you.

As you can see, I've changed the theme of my blog. The reason be so that I can add the free speech corner (Read Chat Box). This is for all of you to make a quick shout out to me on your opinions and views of the things I write about. It's for you guys who don't want to leave a more formal comment. Words of encouragement are also welcome. And to the occasional flamer, I'll be gracious to you, as long as you keep within the boundaries of decency.

But of course, I'd still prefer a comment on the posts. Less sifting to do. =P

Anyways, till then, Tschuss!!

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I was listening to my library of songs a while ago, and I got to this song by The Script. It was the one titled ‘Anybody There’. And I was listening to the lyrics of the song while I was at it. The writer sings about not wanting to go to heaven. And of course you would wonder, “Why does someone in his or her right mind not want to go to heaven? What is his reason for this?” Then the last two lines of the chorus comes in. It sings:

But I don’t care, ‘cause I don’t know, anybody there.

So, the singer doesn’t want to go to heaven because he will not know anybody there. He is afraid he will be lonely in heaven. And this of course speaks a lot. One, would be the people he knows and are friends with, are not fit to be in heaven, even in his own eyes. He knows that their lifestyles will not get them to heaven. And what does the singer do about it? He decides that he will join along and be just like them, living life not wanting to go to heaven, not caring to want to get there, and be with his friends in the only other place other than heaven in the afterlife. The song continues to sing about his attitude towards the whole issue, what he is doing with his own life. About going against his own thoughts that tell him ‘no’, rationalising that’s it just part of him, ‘under his skin’.

Also, it also shows the priorities of the person. Here, his priorities would be to be with his friends, doing the same things they do, and going to the same place they will go. His own salvation is of second importance, not to mention that God would definitely be lower than that, it we follow the trend here.

Now here, I would like to challenge you and me. Will you have anybody there in heaven with you? What will you do about your friends, and relatives? Will you go to heaven alone, or will you try to bring them to heaven with you? Will you even bother to try to bring them along, or will you be the only one there, with no people to meet when you get there? Or will you be like the singer, to totally give up and let loose, not even wanting to get yourself there in heaven so that you can be with your friends in the alternative to heaven?

What will you do?...

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