Friday, June 18, 2010

19-06-10 (Saturday) "Orchestra"

Went for the Canberra Youth Orchestra concert last night. Pretty cool stuff. They had harps!!!
Free Image Hosting
In some ways, life is like an orchestra, isn't it? We're all individual players of various instruments, with everyone contributing to different parts of the whole piece.
Free Image Hosting
On our own, the sound can be pretty normal and even plain annoying at times. When we work together, the music produced is easily majestic and jawdropping.
Free Image Hosting
We make mistakes along the way but the others cover up for us in those times. They help us out. Our mistake goes by almost unnoticed but yet when everyone works together properly, the harmony is clear. The melody is soothing to all those present. And more importantly... People don't really notice what every individual does but gives their attention to the Conductor, eh? That's who is running the show, keeping everything in line.

p.s. All the best, England. I think you'll be needing it...

Sunday, June 13, 2010

13-06-10 (Sunday) “Testing”

James showed me how to use “Windows Live Writer” so this is just a trial. 

IMG_5192

Here’s a picture from when Mom and Dad came over to Canberra. Part of Lake Burley-Griffin.

Friday, June 11, 2010

11-06-10 (Friday) "Pleading Not Guilty"

You know that feeling when someone accuses you of something you didn't do and you just HAD to shout it out that you didn't do it?
Free Image Hosting
Like the time your brother/sister lied to mom/dad that it was you who started the fight
Like the time when someone puts someone else's eraser in your bag and told the teacher it was you who stole it
Like the time when you did your own homework but the teacher found two similar answers in the homework and your good ol' pal insists s/he asked you to do your own work but decided to just let you copy HIS answer instead?
Free Image Hosting
Its only right that we speak up for our innocence, don't you think so? How can we let that other person get away with this bad thing s/he did? If we let him go, he might just go on doing MORE bad stuff until it becomes part of his character so we better stop it earlier on by pleading for justice on our behalf, right? I would think that's only the RIGHT thing to do.
Free Image Hosting
But here comes a whole different story told 2,000 years ago when a Man free from any blame decided to take all the rubbish and fallacy thrown His way and yet not speak a single word of retaliation. Here was Jesus, whose perpetrators "testified falsely against Him, but their statements did not agree." (Mark 14:56) Everyone was throwing unproven claims against Him with no basis on truth at all... "but Jesus gave him no answer."(John 19:9b)
Free Image Hosting

"Jesus answered, 'You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above." (John 19:11a)

Free Image Hosting
It takes quite a lot of humility to silence oneself to accept such insults and yet keep quiet about it, just taking as it is. It takes REAL love to take on another's punishment. And punishment SO severe. The only thing I could think of, putting myself in Jesus' shoes reading this, was "I don't have to take all this crap!" but yet Jesus did! For me. For you. For the love of us. Can you see it yet? Does it remind you of how it was when you first came to Him?

I do not believe in stopping living just because of exams coming around the corner.
The closer exams are, the more I live life. :)

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

01-06-10 (Tuesday) "3 Magic Words"

Its week 13 already. Final week of the semester. Its quite scary how the whole semester just passed me by like that. Yet through it all, its always such a good feeling to look back and just see how God has been faithful to me.
Free Image Hosting
I was just thinking of how the phrase "I love you" works. It seems to me that this phrase only comes out when the other party does something nice to us.

I help cook you dinner... "I love you".
I buy you some milkshake when you are not expecting it... "I love you".
I get some cookies and hang 'em on your door when you're feeling down... "I love you".
(All 3 of my examples somehow happened to involve food but those were the only examples I could think of now, sorry.)
Free Image Hosting
What about when I am tired and I say some nasty words?... No "I love you"?
What about when I am a total jerk and just brush past you amidst our 'cold war'?... No "I love you"?
What about when I hang up all your calls and ignore your messages?... No "I love you"?
Free Image Hosting
Its easy to love others when they're in their top form, when nothing wrong can be found in them. But love doesn't just happen when they're at their peak, right? Its in the deepest, darkest, lowest, ugliest moments of their lives that one's love is tested.
Free Image Hosting
"I love you" now for sure... Who wouldn't love me when I am such a gentleman? But what about the times when I uttered not a single loving word? Try saying "I love you" then. Have a think about whether you actually love the person or just that small deed that s/he did.
Free Image Hosting
"Would you love yourself if you were someone else but you knew every single detail of yourself?" quoted Andy Low from his pastor. Yet God chose to love us still. Every single detail of us. Even the bad and the ugly.

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth
so that you have sincere love for your brothers,
love one another deeply,
from the heart
~ 1 Peter 1:22
I just wanna thank God that I have managed to NOT lose anything for quite a significant period already. That alone is enough to testify His faithfulness. :)