Not a Fan wk 1 & 2

So basically this six week course ask us to ask ourselves this.

Are we a fan or a follower of Christ?

1st and 2nd session has just been over and there's been some struggle to define things.
One thing this course is, it's a definite eye opener.
If only mouth can open up, talk about a time to be tongue tied. >.<

Fan or Follower? Restoration

Define The Relationship with God. Luke 9: 18-25

A personal challenge has been the question of "When have you been most alive?", and my first answer was "Rollercoaster" but people who shared were talking bout serving others and it just didn't seem appropriate.
And by the time I thought about my time in Aussie, it was too late.
Looking up the leader's material online, I found that we've not been read the whole thing.
The question in details ask for 2 answers, one when it satisfied our own desires and one when it was about others. So, I did get to both parts. Like a tortoise. >.<

I'm still coming to terms on how do we reach this state of simplifying a relationship to those 2 words alone. And maybe right now, all I want is to be restored.

7-days Journal

This in itself wasn't just a ponder once daily thing. But each day, there was 3 or 4 parts.
It really asked us to scrutinized every minute or hour of our day. Even our lunch hour.
Like, what are your thoughts while you drive or commute to work?
Or what does your alcohol/food intake speaks about Jesus?

And sometimes, these are the hardest questions to answer.
Because there are bound to be things that we do in auto pilot mode.
There are things you do to satisfy yourself.
And there are things you do hoping He'd be pleased.

Follow Me: Redemption

There was this story about a little girl staining the couch and keeping it a secret from the parents.
And she burst out crying in guilt when the parents found out and gathered the children to find the culprit.
She felt so guilty that she asked the question "Do you still love me?" when it all came out, and her mum says yes. And that day onwards, she would show visitors the couch with the stain as it now represents being loved.

Looking beyond the stain, that's what His love is doing.

There was this explanation in the video, about Greek words to explain our now translated word 'Lord' and the explanation goes that it can only belong together in an owner-slave relationship. But then the video also said how being a slave to Him frees us.

And studying on that topic;

3 different books all speaking of the same moment. Matthew 9:9-12, Luke 5:27-32 and Mark 2:14-17
This in itself was mind blowing to read from The Message Bible.

The last verse had so many different words to describe the same situation.
Inviting outsiders (Matthew), the sin sick (Mark), an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out (Luke).

Personal challenge was "Is there any stains that's still keeping you from Him?"
Often times, it's hard to let go.
Because where there was regret, maybe there had been good times as well.
And maybe we think the pain is worth it.
If we could just bring it all to Him. And let Him take away the pain.
Redemption by grace, by His blood...



*This post was rushed towards the end, have a workshop to head to!*

Check In

There he was mumbling away instructions, and all I manage to hear was;

"....install the latest Map Editor...download.....compile the map and then check in"

I got the drift of it but it didn't really register in my head what I was about to do.
Until I reached the Check In page.
And all of a sudden I was going nuts with joy screaming in my head;

"I'M CHECKING IN A MAP FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME!!!!"

I couldn't stop grinning and getting all teary about it.
It didn't matter that this was just in the test environment.
It didn't matter that it wasn't even my own map.
It didn't matter that it was so lame considering that its what he and some others do it on a daily basis.

I was given a tiny key and finally got in!
And I was also finally doing it with authorized permission!

It was such a precious moment as short as it was in the midst of all the crazy busyness today.
There's more maps to check in this week but the first is just plain awesome!

Cherries

There was this feeling.
Of a little tender longing.
Almost like homesickness
When I saw the box of cherries.
I wasn't really craving for them.
But it was a feeling I couldn't just shake off.
Hence just a handful to satisfy whatever it is that was.

It's so expensive here... yet I'm grateful because it's not in season in Aussie now. And these were really red and ripe.
So tonight I'm going to just enjoy them.

What a night...

It's raining at abu!

Warcry

Every Sunday morning,
a warcry awakens from within.
Enough is enough,
the enemy has best flee.

Dieu et mon droit,
as the English would say.
God and my right.

~Dieu et mon droit has generally been used as the motto of English—and later British (outside of Scotland)—monarchs since being adopted by Edward III. It was first used as a battle cry byKing Richard I in 1198 at the Battle of Gisors, when he defeated the forces of Philip II of France and after he made it his motto. The belief in medieval Europe was not that victory automatically went to the side with the better army but that, as with personal trial by combat, to the side that God viewed with favour. Hence Richard wrote after his victory "It is not us who have done it but God and our right through us".
So after his victories on the crusades "Richard was speaking what he believed to be the truth when he told the Holy Roman Emperor: 'I am born of a rank which recognises no superior but God'."