New Testament

Gratitude

‎"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” -Melody Beattie

Morning already

Haven't been sleeping right lately. I don't know why.. going in and out of sleep every three hours or so, with weird dreams here and there; hence the semi-sore throat yesterday. I think something's on my mind.

Please pray for me, taking the board exam in about two weeks.

Advice from an old friend this weekend...

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

(John Wooden)

Gentle Healer

Gentle Healer is the Truth, the Life, the Way.

Persimmon

One of my fav fruits. Crunchy and juicy at the same time.. how weird. :)

A'-men

Do you know what the word 'Amen' means? We say it so often.. in the end of every prayer. People sometimes say it at church when they agree with something. Do we understand its true meaning?

Jesus, in the last book of the New Testament, is referred to as the Amen.

"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the A'-men, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: it would be better if you were cold or hot." Revelation 3:14,15

Wikipedia describes Amen as a declaration of affirmation. The root word for Amen comes from Hebrew aman which means to nourish and make strong. The word emunah (faithfulness) also comes from aman.

The Greek adaptation of the word when reading the New Testament comes out as: "Surely, Surely" or "Verily, verily" or "Truly, truly"..sounds more familiar now? :)

From the Old Testament...

"And he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes." Isaiah 65:16

Faithful and True are such genuine words. Can this sinful self really grasp the true meaning of these words? When we have a problem or burden in our lives, how often can we find a friend who is faithful and true? A friend who would truly understand our troubles, who would listen and actually pray for us when they say "I'll pray for you."

Yes Jesus is faithful and true. The Amen lived His life on this earth a faithful and true witness of the Father. He came to nourish and make strong the true character of the Father. He asks you to follow His footsteps didn't He? So can we be faithful and true to our friends also? Not showing favoritism, but be genuine to every single soul we encounter, point them to the source of the Living Water, so they thirst no more. Can my friends see Jesus in me?

I hope your prayer lives can be enriched by this simple message. When we say that word in the end of every prayer, we affirm that He indeed is faithful in listening and answering to our troubles. So next time you pray, you can 'surely' say it with conviction.

And btw, Amen is also the last word in the Bible...

"He who testifies to these things says, Surely I am coming soon. A'-men. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. A'-men (faithful and true)."

Revelation 22:20,21

Wonderful

Wonderful the feeling

When God, the Giver of Life, is the One who wakes you up in the morning

When He's the One to remind you that it's in fact a start of another day

Another day to walk with Him

He then tells you, that He wants to talk before you go on with your day

Before the sun shows its true strength

Before your body even shows any signs of hunger

He promised we will find Him

Will understand His will

In prayer and in scripture

*******

"I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me."

Proverbs 8:17

Any Upbeat Songs, Andrey?

That's the kinda question I usually get from people riding with me. haha. Sometimes also go along with.. "Oh i had my ipod earlier too, should've brought it along."

Isn't music an interesting one. I heard music has the ability to directly effect our mood, whether the cortex part of our brain that handles logic allows it or not. How does music effect you? Does it establish itself a special part in your heart as it does in mine? :)

I wished i could play more instruments. All through college, i always wanted to play the cello, just so i could be part of the orchestra. I thought of how amazing it'd be to practice orchestra music twice a week and be in the middle of it all.. of all that music making.

Have you heard of David the musician?

"And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him."

I Samuel 16:23

Let your eyes look directly forward,
And your gaze be straight before you.

Ponder the path of your feet;
Then all your ways will be sure.

Proverbs 4:25,26

What say we to the different kinds of music this world has to offer...

Indonesia

Pray with me this morning for the people in Indonesia...

Molten lava flows from the crater of Mount Merapi captured in this extended time exposure photograph taken from Klaten district in Central Java province. An avalanche of heat clouds that can kill anything in their path streamed nine kilometres down the slopes of the volcano.

(AFP/Sonny Tumbelaka)

Villagers flee their homes following another eruption Mount Merapi in Klaten ,Indonesia, Friday, Nov. 5, 2010. A new eruption at Indonesia's volcano has forced authorities to widen the 'danger zone' to 12 miles (20 kilometers) from the fiery crater. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Psalm

"I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed."

Psalms 37:25,26