i am owned..

as a pet!

by who-knows-how-many people already.. and as the ownership is changing hands, people make 'money' out of selling and attaching another nickname to me.

and i can't be bothered because it's facebook..
(you guys are having too much time to spare!)

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saying grace and finding grace in need

one day, caleb was hungry. therefore he was quite fixated on the food in front of him. as soon as the noodles bowl was put on the high-chair table, he started scooping them using his fingers into the mouth, very handy. he couldn't be bothered to say grace with mom's help per usual. so mom gently reminded by saying grace as soon as he's eating.

mi-mih: "Tuhan Yesus, terima kasih untuk makanan Caleb! Aa..."
(dear Jesus, thank you for caleb's food! aa..)
caleb: "biss..."
(finished)

he sure knew the difference between 'amen' and 'habis'.

thanking God for Christ who died on the Cross for our transgressions!

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in His hands (ii)

3. the fairytale life.. in God's hands

coming thusfar, there's indeed is a promise of a 'fairytale' life under God's plan. the Bible tells us of God's plan in making every thing right again. life may be full of experiences that will keep going on and on, be they including the negative ones. james gave the encouragements on how we are to be patience as we learn to trust God for everything in His hands.

- the Lord's coming is 'near' (5:7-9)

everyday is a day closer to no more sufferings, pain or death. Jesus' coming is near! (He has come the first time). even so, in the midst of sufferings, we sometimes wonder whether God really does care.

- the Lord is full of compassion and mercy (5:10-11)

james reminded us of an OT example who displayed patience in the Lord, Job who despite being taken of everything in his life, persevered in his trust to the God who is full of compassion and mercy. we, however, know of God's characters more than those OT figures! we are convinced that Jesus died on the Cross, as a testimony of God's loving character. knowing God, His plans and characters are what make us patience. no matter what life feels like, it's in God's hands, His loving hands to be exact.

- so pray (5:12-20)

trust God in every situation!
when you're in trouble (13a)
when you're happy (13b)
when you're 'sick' (14-20)

the key to understand sickness in this passage lies not on physical sickness, but rather a spiritual one, as james had warned from the beginning of the book about being a double-minded person. the remedies are confessions and prayers that God may raise up (save) the person. we know fully that God will answer our prayers, as He is a compassionate and merciful.

4. the fairytale life.. can you imagine?

application: being cn is about being patience. there's always a sense of longing, whatever it is, that won't go away. the Lord's coming is near! in the meantime, keep seeking to do good while we wait for God to realise His fairytale life for us all. the paradise is indeed coming! (as keith urban inspires in his song).

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in His hands (i)

thanking God for His Word through the equip conference. it was faithful and refreshing. this year, the book of James was concluded. we learnt from james 4:13-5:20. thought i'd like to share on my notes on one of the two main talks at the moment. besides, it's good also for me as i try to re-write and tidy things up, i have the opportunities to digest further and reflect on His living Word.

the passage above mainly talks about being patience with the key verse being, 5:7 - be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming.

1. the fairytale life.. happily every after

we all want to live out our fairytale life, that one dream of a perfect life that's full of the very best things in life - perhaps that second-to-none lifestyle, that perfect husband/wife, that excellent career, etc. but in reality, life isn't as simple as wishing it may be. indeed, life is one often full of unfulfilled expectations, needless to say full of frustration at times. we never seem to get it right!

"whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work." - Oprah

"what this day says to Australian women and to Australian girls is that you can do anything, you can be anything." - Quentin Bryce

"hold on! we're headed for a better life." - Keith Urban

2. the fairlytale life.. in our hands?

- it's impossible (4:13-17)

no matter how hard we try, fairytale life is impossible!

firstly, we don't even know what will happen tomorrow (v14-15). james wasn't anti plans, we indeed need plans to be responsible over the resources that God has placed on our hands. it is rather that none of our plans are guaranteed! our plans are not in our hands to start with. we ought instead to be humble of our plans and have a reverence to God who has everything in His hands.

"i could start by confidently outlining the prospects for the US economy, the world economy and the Australian economy, then go on to explain the implications for the sharemarket and the property market.. instead, i want to say something much more valuable to you - nobody, but nobody, knows what the future holds for the economy and markets. since the future is unknowable, you should proceed with humility and caution" - Ross Gittins

- it testifies against us (5:1-6)

secondly, if we pursue it, in the end, it will testify against us! unlike a fairytale start, it will all end up a fairytale ending, we'll all meet God's judgement. james used strong languages throughout his warnings of the rich who live life as they pleased without any reverence to God.

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