20140220: "Jesus - Pure & Simple" by Wayne Cordeiro 2 Cor 11: 3

2 Corinthians 11:3 " But I am afraid that , as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" 

Started reading this book by Wayne Cordeiro " Jesus -Pure and Simple" Got this as a gift for my niece last year 14/3/2013 and now took it back to read for myself.

The author wrote "When you cannot remember...when the speaker insists again that you need to stop your bad habits, increase your devotion...when overwhelmed by testimonies of others pray all night , fasting 40 days , raising the dead and leading thousands of people to the Lord on their airplanes rides home...when attend another hyped up conference that promises to be the one that will reduce all your problems ...when someone points a finger in your face and says "thus saith the Lord" but their advice contradicts someone else who shouted a different "Thus saith the Lord"....when your email your mailbox is flooded with a multitude of letters, newsletters and giving requests from a multitude of organizations with 3 initial names.....

It's  time to get back to Jesus

It is time to hear His voice and simplify.

It's time we get back to Jesus, pure and simple

That is what this book I am now reading is about. WOW! 

Listen to this beautiful song ...Let your voice be louder...

Further quote " And the good news is that it's not about doing more or doing less.  Because God created you in His image, the more you become like Jesus, the more you become the person you were create to be.  It is in Him that you actually find fulfillment, not in religious activities (as good as they may be) or in serene settings that give you a needed respite from your harried workplace.  He is not the rest from our labours.  He is the rest in our labours...the closer you get to Jesus, the more at home you will feel in this journey.  God designed it that way...

'You searched the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have eternal life (John 5:39-40). But missing the point may not mean that Jesus is distant.
...It is usually that our eyes are too full to see Him. Our attention is arrested by what commands our lives...this week's desires, today's fears, relationships we want, things we need, or problems we despise......

It's not destruction that causes our greatest concerns...

It's distraction."

So wonderfully quoted by this author.  Distraction.  Focus Blur blur liao....

Umm...is the gospel so complicated? 

Reflections
I love what the Lord Jesus can do and will continue to do in situations that I am often amazed.  Last week visited a 90 year old aunt whom had not seen in the past one year.  Shocked to see her bedridden. Compared to sharing a birthday with another 89 year old church friend this month, it was a sight of two ladies - one still healthy and able to shake her bumps whereas the other lie in pain on the water bed.  

Intended to call on the chinese church to do some visitation as follow ups afterall old aunt had attended some years back before her stroke. And the Lord did something funny.

Wanted to apps to a friend by the name of "A". Somehow the text was sent to another different "A"! of the same name.  But it was all Rom 8:28. Somehow i thot it could not had happened as i was rather sure that I chose the right "A" yesterday.  Nevertheless, it turned out that the "A" was a relative of my aunt anyway and they were currently attending the church. Well, "A" did the arrangement for the church visitation team right on the spot on the same day. I was spared of the co-ordination! LOL.  See, miracle happens even thru a mis-messaging of wat apps! LOL. But yes, God is good!  Did His angels make that switch in the apps addressee ? I wonder!

JESUS! Oh Yeah!

Focus..focus focus...
Like the photo above..the shadow of darkness casted can only be brighten up when we turn our eyes to HIM!
No more shadow of doubt!

20140218: Daniel 12:10 Wicked and Wise Understanding

Daniel 12:10"Many shall be purifed, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of  the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand"

We just celebrated Yuan Xiao Jie - the 15th day of the Lunar New Year celebration (Full Moon) and this year it coincided with the western commercialised Valentine Day. We bade farewell to the Snake Year and welcome the Stable year of the Horse.

But not so stable as it sounds as we entered into a new year with news of volcano eruption in Indonesia, snowstorms in Japan and in the states...and financial turmoil all over the world.

I grew up with my late mum who referred to the lunar calendar more than the english gregorian one.  In the younger days, she celebrated my 'chinese' birthdate rather than my 'english' date of birth.  And I used to wonder why I had "TWO" birthdates" .LOL

Telling the times and seasons on earth - one often follows that of the signs of the shape of the moon - full, half of crescent. The high and low tides of the seas are predicted according to that too.  Kind of fool-proof. Interesting isn't it?

The Book of Daniel - written around 605 - 536 Bc by the prophet Daniel. His name speaks volumes " God is my Judge"

Some personal reflections:

Have you been finding a little hard nowadays to share with others about our Lord Jesus Christ and the faith in Him? I do. But I realized perhaps it  cannot be avoided given the social media of the cases that had been brought to court especially the recent CHC case and the S377. People are more 'aware' now. In Dan12:4 Daniel wrote 2500 years back that there will come a time"  where knowledge shall be increased" and we are in this season where news become almost instantaneous given the social network of messaging platform. Where every citizen can be a net-journalist reporting "Live" breaking news on site anytime, anywhere and anyhow! And the word "Trust" is now the in- word of the season. Whom do we trust in the news?

Conclusion
Daniel 12:10 - the wicked shall not understand. But the wise shall understand.

Understand what?

The discernment of the things and events happening around us. Like watching the stars and the moons - the signs in the sky.

Many shall be TRIED - oh yes....for sure....guess before we can be purified and made white.

Ps 20 is a cry to the Lord for help in times of trouble. He is the fulfiller of all our petitions. Petitions from His children.  We will rejoice in our salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners.

As we enter into the Year of the Horse ,  V7 Some trust in Chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord. Be wise.  Trust in Him. That is all we need. Pure and simple.

20140106: Jer 25:31 -Did you hear the Rumble this morning?

Jer 25:31 "A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with  the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword"

Did you hear what 4 persons heard this morning around 8:10- 20 am on this 6th Jan 2014?

If not for my brother texting to me, I would not have thought about it.
But yes, it was kind of freaky sound...low...consistent rumbling ...sounds like a truck to one. But it was definitely not a plane. The sound hovered above your head directly...That sound lasted about 1 minute!

Was it Haarp? Was it meteors passing? What was that noise?? Was it an earthquake????

This evening started to surf for this similar sound...found one on youtube which was very similar to what I heard this morning!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9x3gb9k93oo&sns=em

I swear by this sound. This is exactly what I heard this morning！ it is the sound of trumpets tuning up!! YES. That was the sound.  And yes jeremiah25 is true ! And if this is what we 4 heard- Jesus is definitely coming back soon!

Reflections:

Decided to read Jer 25 after listening to this youtube.

Jeremiah the book is the prophesy of a man divinely called by God. Living in the same period as one good king called Josiah around 627BC to 580BC.He was one of the greatest prophets during its darkest days.

In this chapter 25 - it recorded Jeremiah's 12th sermon.

Jer 25:31 "A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; " Apparently, many people all over the world has been reporting of such weird rumbling sounds...

V32, "Behold evil shall go forth from nation to nation..." - How true as we read the news happening around us...chaos in Thailand, Cambodia..North Korea, India, Bangladesh..red dot had several murders and suicides in just last few days...beheading, gruesome deaths..

V36 "A voice of the cry of the shepherd, and an howling of the principal of the flock shall be heard; for the LORD has spoiled their pasture?" ...Isn't this true in our churches today?? that it is tough to be a pastor today trying to motivate the flock? If you are a pastor - you will want to wail and cry - will you not??

Rev 8 - The opening of the 7th seal and it opened up with the prayers of all the saints ascended up before God out of the angel's hands...the angel took the censer and filled it with fire of the altar and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunders and lightnings and an earthquake.

V6 and the 7 angels which had the 7 trumpets prepared themselves to sound....

Is this the rumble of trumpets tuning up?? 
All orchestras had to do this tuning up before any grand performance. The pre tuning is actually quite messy. But it is an important pre-preparation part. Without it, the whole orchestra will continue to be in mess. All ,must be in the correct pitch and tune.  The conductor strains his ear to hear this before his hand starts!

So far 4 of us heard this unusual sound. But we cannot really described it.  Sounds like a truck to one. Resonance of the sound in low OOOHHHHHH.
If the musician who collated these sounds he heard over the globe and zoomed in to that of the tuning of the trumpet...umm...perhaps the trumpet is sounding alright...just the beginning.  They are merely tuning...so the sounds can be variedly heard by people in different sounds perhaps...

Kind of creepy if you may see it ...

However, the hope lies in knowing the Coming King of Righteousness. 
We just celebrated Christmas. It is about the Messiah who was born to take away our sins. He died and He rose again.  This is the new covenant he made with man.  He will put His law in our hearts and  will be our God. He will forgive our iniquity and He will remember our sin no more V34. With His blood shed on the cross for us, we have been redeemed.  Not by our own works, purely by His grace.  We ain't saints. Indeed. But we have his promise in 1 JOhn 1:9 It is a very simple thing to do yet many find it hard too.  Only IF....Nothing to think to process. It is an action to be taken. The word is IF.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness".  And on this earthly journey here, we do hurt others just as others may have hurt us. Sometimes consciously while at times unconsciously . For those we know, we bring our trespasses to light with another. And we thank God for this provision of confession and repentance on our part. Confess. Forgive. Perhaps more than  7x70 times in our lifetime. LOL  Live in the present and not the past. Move on. Make right with Almighty King who is coming. Prepare the way for the Risen Lord! Let it go. Just as the main song of the cartoon Frozen Movie has played. 

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be seen.
A kingdom of isolation and it looks like I'm the queen.
The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside.
Couldn't keep it in, Heaven knows I tried.
Don't let them in, don't let them see. Be the good girl you always have to be.
Conceal don't feel, don't let them know.
Well, now they know!

Let it go, let it go.
Can't hold it back anymore.
Let it go, let it go.
Turn away and slam the door.
I don't care what they're going to say.
Let the storm rage on.
The cold never bothered me anyway.

It's funny how some distance, makes everything seem small.
And the fears that once controlled me, can't get to me at all
It's time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through.
No right, no wrong, no rules for me. I'm free!

Let it go, let it go.
I am one with the wind and sky.
Let it go, let it go.
You'll never see me cry.
Here I stand, and here I'll stay.
Let the storm rage on.

My power flurries through the air into the ground.
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around
And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
I'm never going back; the past is in the past!

Let it go, let it go.
And I'll rise like the break of dawn.
Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone
Here I stand, in the light of day
Let the storm rage on!
The cold never bothered me anyway.

 

20130101- Crossing from 2013 to 2014 Under the Saareiselka fireworks in Finland!

 Our New 2014 was spent in Saariselka, Finland.

We started out from our lodge at about 11pm to Santa Hotel......

The laser lights captured the falling snow flakes....

Only a handful of people were gathered at the hotel activity area...
While we were making our way there, many little booms were heard all over too and other flashes of fireworks were seen from where we were!

Above an unusual shot...of an 'invisible' man...V seemed to be spirited away...wonder what did his camera did to him in the apperture exposure! LOL!

At 12 sharp, the fireworks began and it lasted for 8 min! What an awesome feeling to be right under the fireworks!

 And after that we went into a teepee to have some drinks/ whisky!

That ended the trip for the 4 of us....although no northern light sighting after 5 nights, our disappointment was 'compensated' through the company of each other...new friend Iris (found out that she was my really junior in Accountancy in NUS...time flies...!) ...the many "FIRSTs" experiences we all had... freezing cold, snowman, reindeers, snowmobiles...the laughs and the laughters over the bloops and blunders...lost longjons and keys for the 2 men...the cooking and the cleaning...a trip that was almost impossible for V except by the grace of God....hurdles were cleared in the end and we did have a jolly good time in the land of reindeers and darkness.  An overall experience that we will not forget...

We hardly see the sunlight. This is winter. ....
And we now wonder what it would be light in summer...too bright to sleep?? Umm....watch the "Frozen" trailer..kind of summarizes what we had gone through in the cold!...and yes, weird weather this time with temp going as low as minus 50 degrees in NW America right now! Oh Boy! No wonder the movie "Frozen" is now launched...living to its blockbuster name! LOL

Interestingly, ANGRY BIRD souvenirs were all over this country...wonder why.........
They even had an ANGRY BIRD PARK beside the hotel!  And this is a perfect shot of the angry bird pose - the elastic and the ball....what was your score? Have a go at this game..and dun miss the shot! Yeah!

2014-10 : Finland- Saareiselka :Catching the northern lights via reindeers and about snowmobiles....

 What exactly is Northern Lights?

Or Aurora Borealis? Some friends asked.

This was what we were seeking for in Saareiselka this trip...unfortunately, the sky was still cloudy and the temp was not low enough even though it was about minus ten degrees. Sob Sob!

On 1st January 2014, we set off to look for Mrs Reindeer of Husky tours...
We found her at about 8pm...

Was brought to the changing room to gear up...even with our duck feathered down, we had to put on their overalls and snow shoes...

We looked like full blown Eskimos!

All the snowmobiles were fully booked for that nite...we had no choice but to turn to REINDEERS instead..

Our FIRST reindeer sledge ride for the trip!

Mr Reindeer and Mrs Reindeer were hard at work. They told us that only snowmobiles were introduced only 2 years back.

Because the weather was bad for aurora sighting...we were bought to an area to set up the campfire...Mr Reindeer was fantastic. He shave a few little carvings of wood and then the fire was immediately lit up with just a few logs!

He made coffee and tea and we had biscuits to go with it...

After about 3 hours later, we were back to home sweet Lodge....zzzzno sighting of northern lights...

But the reindeer ride was a kind of experience in itself..
as we were being pulled, the reindeer behind our sledge kept using its antlers to 'tickle' John from the side! LOL...Hey Hey! Move it off, Dear!

***************************************************************************

The next morning 2/1/2014, which was our last day in Finland, we took the adventure Snowmobile ride which started at 9am and ended about 1pm...

Again...gearing up was a pain.....layers upon layers...helmet was heavy...
felt like an astronaut in outer space!

 Going at about 35-40km/hour, the 2-hour bump bump ride was quite an experience! Apparently not easy to control the steering as the macho men did the driving...

And guess what happened to this couple ?

Their bike stalled midway! And had to take over the staff bike instead!

And Guess what happened towards the end?

This driver JOHN caused the snowmobile to turn over sideways! Oh Mind! 
What a First experience! Fortunately our legs were not fractured by the side!

Compared with our previous Hokkaido ride, this one is definitely longer and bumpier!!! One needs to empty the bladder first before riding next time :)

2014-9 Finland Saareiselka SKI shots

Different scenes of the snow surrounding...Temp from -5 to -10 degrees...

Night scenes...only about 3 hours of 'daylight' which were really daylight !

The ski bus that we took daily - E5 for unlimited travel per day

Verdict of Ski Place : Definitely not good for beginners to learn. Few lanes were opened. Slopes were short and not well design with a full green for beginner. It began in green but towards the end the slopes were pretty slope and intermediate. 

Because of lack of day light, the skis were mainly under flood lights. So lack of the nice scenery for pana view.

On the last day, the temp dropped to minus 10. So top of mountain was even colder - freezing cold to ski

Recommended Ski resorts " Korea- Muju , Hokkaido - Rutsutsu or Niseko, or Canada Whistler/ Blackcomb ....

So here is the youtube from "Frozen" - Let it go!