Maybe we are a little crazy. After all, we believe in things we don't see. The Scriptures say that faith is "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Heb. 11:1). We believe poverty can end even though it is all around us. We believe in peace even though we hear only rumors of wars. And since we are people of expectation, we are so convinced that another world is coming that we start living as if it were already here. As prominent evangelical activist Jim Wallis says, "We believe despite the evidence...and watch the evidence change." So may we begin living as if poverty were over, and we will see it come to pass. May we begin beating our swords into plowshares now, and the kingdom will begin to be not simply something we hope for when we die but something we see on earth as it is in heaven, the kingdom that is among us and within us.
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One friend was asked by a skeptic, "You all are just a little group of radical idealists. What makes you actually think you can change the world?" And she said, "Sir, if you will take a closer look at history you will see...that's the only way it has ever been done." Welcome to the irresistible revolution, a new and ancient way of life that is so attractive, who would settle for anything else? Welcome to the revolution of little people, guerrilla peacemakers, and dancing prophets, the revolution that loves and laughs. The revolution begins inside each of us, and through little acts of love, it will take over the world. Let us begin to be Christians again. Jesus, give us the courage.
I'm back from a short ten days in Kathmandu and Nagarkot in Nepal. I'm still emotionally and spiritually overwhelmed from what I've seen and experienced, and the people with whom I became friends with or interacted. I remember each one of you, no matter how brief our encounter, that's why I remember you in this poem I wrote for you.
I wrote this on the flight back to Singapore.
12/16/10
Eyes that sore Eyes that flood Why are goodbyes so hard?
Eyes that beg And those that burn Aflame with ambition and hope
I look into your soul And you were all blood inside Sometimes seeping out from bandage Sometimes blooming in beauty
Look into mine and you'll see, you'll see A rainbow of hope and tears We laugh together and fall flat on autumn leaves Orange, golden, red
We'll live a better tomorrow Look into my eyes, my soul You'll see...
Here's a late post of another cover I did with Ian - Bruddah Iz's Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Teddy, a mutual friend, did a really great job recording and mixing it.
It was a lot of fun coming up with the ideas and filming them down. We filmed all the takes in one afternoon at Ian's church, Bartley Christian Church. Bartley sends laborers to the mission field and has a spiritually maturing community; I've seen and is still witnessing God work amazing changes into the lives of my handful of friends who are in this community.
Props goes to Ian who edited the entire video because he has iLife '11. We want to honor God for the creativity, friendship, and laughter that went into this video, and for growing our musical talents by leaps and bounds as we train it and use it for his Kingdom.
View it in HD to enjoy the original sound quality :)
First -collab- collab. This is one of my favorite songs and I had been looking for some time for a voice that would suit the song and sound really nice with how my voice sounds. Stuff happened and I found Ian! (Thanks Olie and Sarah for the encouragement.)
Ian has a unique voice and plays guitar crazy well. Check him out and subscribe to him!
I'm going to be on my campus radio station coming Tuesday! Honestly I've never tuned it to it before, and when I tried last week, I couldn't either. But as an advice I got goes, it's just going to be a good experience!
I just massacred 7 commander ants and a lot of other normal worker ants. And I don't feel good about it at all.
The ants were just doing what they have been doing since they were created! They were just finding food to feed their colony. Wouldn't it have been a better if food was kept or thrown away so that they wouldn't be attracted to it in the first place?
Now I'm beginning to see why many non-industrialist societies revere life. They kill animals only when in need and eat respectfully and in gratitude for the fact that animal lives have been sacrificed in order for them to physically and religiously benefit from it (which is also a great foundation for them to understand Jesus as the Ultimate Sacrifice!)
Same goes with the baby chili plants that my sis and mom planted for my sister's school project. Now that the teacher finds no use for the plants, there seems to be this oblivion to what the students will do about them. We all know that well - we had to do the same project when we were in primary school. And the most common reaction is to just let the plants die, or throw them away in the trash.
Have we forgot how sacred life is? These chili plants and ants have been entrusted to us by God so that we can care for them with discretion on how they benefit us. Plants don't express emotions like animals do, but God made them grow all the same. God is the one who makes our hearts beat, who gives food and energy to the animals, and makes sure seeds develop into strong plants.
It's discomforting and amazing at the same time for a city kid like me for God to open my eyes to see him in everything, including everything that has life. He prepared the earth, skies, and everything extra-terrestrial to be conducive so that he could create life to live in it, and ultimately people to obey his first command ever and take care of his creation. We're so honored to be given this sacred task of helping to manage the lives all around us!
So God created human beings in his image. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female. God blessed them and said, "Have many children and grow in number. Fill the earth and be its master. Rule over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." God said, "Look, I have given you all the plants that have grain for seeds and all the trees whose fruits have seeds in them. They will be food for you. I have given all the green plants as food for every wild animal, every bird of the air, and every small crawling animal." And it happened. God looked at everything he had made, and it was very good.
