Bday - Michael Jasckson, Aug. 29th, 1958.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Revelation
好久沒有讀啟示錄了, 這次讀時.. 有感覺~ 首先, 耶穌在此卷書給我的感覺... 不像平時容易感受到的全愛, 溫和, 卻是嚴厲, 嚴謹, 公義的一面. 從一開始就先給七個教會些嘉許及責備. The way Jesus was described.. was in holiness, in mighty, in power! "Peals of thunder" appears to show God's majesty and authority.. 教會能聽的就當聽, realized so much to adjust, yet I feel alive....! I haven't felt this for awhile, and it gets back to where I know I am supposed to be... my heart feels it right! :)
Love Revelation!
Love Revelation!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
New Life Community Church in SLO 8/16/09
So we did attend their service on 8/16 on our family trip to SLO over the weekend, recommended by Mark. We went there early and attended the Vertex service at 11am. I think God is really teaching us to pray... nothing new, but do pray! 'Cause the topic... same as VOH, is prayer! "Praying That Makes A Difference" was the theme for the week, and next: "Finding Courage to Pray." The church is beautiful, well decorated, and even served breakfast/refreshments.. too bad we ate sth beforehand and were anticipating the delicious lunch at Giuseppe's Italian Restaurant, so ... I did take any good looking bagels. Since they're two services at different locations, the pastor had to preach in Vertex first and then head to the other worship center, so .. worship started first!
There wasn't any drummer, simply one guitarist also is the worship leader, and one female vocalist, that's IT! What amazed me was their harmony ability. It was just beautifully sung... when one sings main melody, one simply sings harmony, and she knows when to fade out and when to build the dynamics. Awesome.. and wonderful voices! :)
Also, a few announcements startled me.. or I should say, how organized and resourceful the man power they got!
1. Library closed between Aug. 9-23. *they got a library on campus? WOAW!
2. Jr. High Parent Meeting *so.. the meeting is for parents, not teens... for parenting issues, teen culture, and youth group programing.
3. Prism Orientation *I guess this is for high school orientations?!
4. Freshman Parent Orientation *again, they focus on parents.. what parents need to learn about 9th~12th grade programing.
5. Christmas Production! *they have to audition to get roles -> need dads to play shepherds, jr. high and high skul students as soloists, and 4th~6th graders to play angels. So specific and seemingly a huge production coming up!
6. L.A. Dodger Game $20 *include bus ride and admission. What a great family trip!
7. 13-week biblical based video/small group study course on financial peace. *there's even a preview class....
8. Marriage Preparation Class *so they do it in a group setting, like a class session. An enrich pre-marital inventory need to be completed also.
9. 10-week video discussion support group for anyone grieving the loss of a loved one *um.. too much like a course to talk about it, but.. it's good that they try to be informative about it!
10. Recruit adults and 5th~12th graders to be a part of worship and drama teams for kids (children ministry!) *productions are once a month from Oct - May.
Notes for the sermon: Eph. 3:14-21
Three general observations about prayer:
1. Prayer and the Bible always go together (Eph. 3:11-12, 14; John 14:13)
2. Prayers ought to include requests for all dimensions of life (Eph. 3:16; Hebrews 4:14-16)
3. Prayer expresses desire (Eph. 3:20)
How can we make a difference in someone walk with the Lord?
By praying for them:
1. To be strengthened by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:16-17) ... being rooted and established in love...
2. To understand the love of Christ (Eph. 3:18-19a) .. is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge...
3. To be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19b).. Romans 8:28-29 Pastor Vince Llamas also mentioned.
"Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still." E.M. Bounds
"Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon their knees." William Cowper
There wasn't any drummer, simply one guitarist also is the worship leader, and one female vocalist, that's IT! What amazed me was their harmony ability. It was just beautifully sung... when one sings main melody, one simply sings harmony, and she knows when to fade out and when to build the dynamics. Awesome.. and wonderful voices! :)
Also, a few announcements startled me.. or I should say, how organized and resourceful the man power they got!
1. Library closed between Aug. 9-23. *they got a library on campus? WOAW!
2. Jr. High Parent Meeting *so.. the meeting is for parents, not teens... for parenting issues, teen culture, and youth group programing.
3. Prism Orientation *I guess this is for high school orientations?!
4. Freshman Parent Orientation *again, they focus on parents.. what parents need to learn about 9th~12th grade programing.
5. Christmas Production! *they have to audition to get roles -> need dads to play shepherds, jr. high and high skul students as soloists, and 4th~6th graders to play angels. So specific and seemingly a huge production coming up!
6. L.A. Dodger Game $20 *include bus ride and admission. What a great family trip!
7. 13-week biblical based video/small group study course on financial peace. *there's even a preview class....
8. Marriage Preparation Class *so they do it in a group setting, like a class session. An enrich pre-marital inventory need to be completed also.
9. 10-week video discussion support group for anyone grieving the loss of a loved one *um.. too much like a course to talk about it, but.. it's good that they try to be informative about it!
10. Recruit adults and 5th~12th graders to be a part of worship and drama teams for kids (children ministry!) *productions are once a month from Oct - May.
Notes for the sermon: Eph. 3:14-21
Three general observations about prayer:
1. Prayer and the Bible always go together (Eph. 3:11-12, 14; John 14:13)
2. Prayers ought to include requests for all dimensions of life (Eph. 3:16; Hebrews 4:14-16)
3. Prayer expresses desire (Eph. 3:20)
How can we make a difference in someone walk with the Lord?
By praying for them:
1. To be strengthened by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 3:16-17) ... being rooted and established in love...
2. To understand the love of Christ (Eph. 3:18-19a) .. is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge...
3. To be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19b).. Romans 8:28-29 Pastor Vince Llamas also mentioned.
"Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still." E.M. Bounds
"Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon their knees." William Cowper
Hebrews
It's really hard to make up my mind as to my favorite book of the Bible, but Hebrews is absolutely one of them! I've always wanted to study the Word in expository fashion... is that the word? Forgot! Anywayz, just hoping to help memorization, that's all!
Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 信就知道諸世界是藉著 神的話語造的 - which was invisible..... faith is ALL about believing the invisible yet by heart we know it's solid!
Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 光唸就會使我得激勵... 如同雲彩圍著我們的見證人, 使我們可以看到, 得以放下重擔脫去罪, 心忍耐, 還要有行動地去奔跑...! 定睛看著那為我們成就十字架羞辱跟得勝的基督來奔跑..! I can literally feel the power flows through such picture...! (:
Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 信就知道諸世界是藉著 神的話語造的 - which was invisible..... faith is ALL about believing the invisible yet by heart we know it's solid!
Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 光唸就會使我得激勵... 如同雲彩圍著我們的見證人, 使我們可以看到, 得以放下重擔脫去罪, 心忍耐, 還要有行動地去奔跑...! 定睛看著那為我們成就十字架羞辱跟得勝的基督來奔跑..! I can literally feel the power flows through such picture...! (:
Thursday, August 13, 2009
How to Get People to Tell You Bad News
I came across reading this section of the book "Children's Ministry Leadership" by Jim Wideman, felt so practical!
1. Don't shoot the messengers. If you explode at the person who calls you Saturday night to report the children's ministry's sound system won't work, that's the last time anyone gives you a heads-up warning. You need to "thank" people who bring you bad news. Not the people who caused the bad news, but those who reported it. They're your early alert system.
2. Calmly ask questions and dig deeper. Here's what your messenger didn't tell you: The sound system doesn't work because half of it's missing. The youth group took it on their weekend retreat.
3. Ask people who bring bad news to your attention what they recommend you do. They've thought about the situation longer than you have, so get their opinion. You don't have to take their advice, but if you've got sharp people on your team, they may heave already figured out a solution.
One person on your team might be a policeman who has a megaphone in his trunk. Let the guy preaching the children's sermon use that on Sunday morning, and then meet with the youth pastor on Monday to discuss "borrowing" sound equipment.
1. Don't shoot the messengers. If you explode at the person who calls you Saturday night to report the children's ministry's sound system won't work, that's the last time anyone gives you a heads-up warning. You need to "thank" people who bring you bad news. Not the people who caused the bad news, but those who reported it. They're your early alert system.
2. Calmly ask questions and dig deeper. Here's what your messenger didn't tell you: The sound system doesn't work because half of it's missing. The youth group took it on their weekend retreat.
3. Ask people who bring bad news to your attention what they recommend you do. They've thought about the situation longer than you have, so get their opinion. You don't have to take their advice, but if you've got sharp people on your team, they may heave already figured out a solution.
One person on your team might be a policeman who has a megaphone in his trunk. Let the guy preaching the children's sermon use that on Sunday morning, and then meet with the youth pastor on Monday to discuss "borrowing" sound equipment.
1 Peter 1:20-21; 23-25 & Colossians 3:2 & 22b
My cell group has been following GetPassage of this preset schedule of 3-months Scripture reading on both OT & NT. I'm positive it has blown us off since the 1st week, cuz there're like 7 chapters a day?! It's now almost coming to the end, I thank God that I followed through, well... hopefully.
彼前1:20-21 基督在創世以前是預先被 神知道的, 卻在這末世才為你們顯現. 你們也因著他, 信那叫他從死裡復活, 又給他榮耀的 神, 叫你們的信心和盼望都在於 神.
彼前1:23-25 你們蒙了重生, 不是由於能壞的種子, 乃是由於不能壞的種子, 是藉著 神活潑常存的道. 因為: “凡有血氣的, 盡都如草, 他的美榮都像草上的花. 草必枯乾, 花必凋謝; 唯有主的道是永存的.“
我何等榮幸跟感恩能生在耶穌顯現的末世.. get to know Him after His resurrection, and be able to build my foundation in Him! 基督是被預定的.. 而我的出生也是被預定的.. 為著我的年代, 我在 神big picture的計畫裡, 我蒙了這樣的恩... 其實話語真的有限, 我也不是很會表達我的感受的人... 簡單的說, 我找到生命永恆的意義, 生命認識那永不壞種子的源頭!
歌羅西書3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3:22b 講到做僕人 (slaves) 的心態... "不要只在眼前伺奉, 像是討人喜歡的, 總要存心誠實敬畏主." 不是第一次讀到這節, 但今天有個另一個感想... 相對來說, 那應該不像是討人喜歡的服事, 應該是討主喜悅.. seek the things above, not on what's seen on earth. 忽然, 想到什麼是things above?! 代表不是我現在肉眼看得到的東西 (think of character, souls), 之後.. 想到什麼是我們容易看到的 - money, and then.. talents! 我想到我很看重伴侶的, 其中一項是... 才能! 我很在意我以後的伴侶要有我很佩服的某個才幹, it doesn't limited to a certain area, just.. sth that attracts me that I know! 忽然覺得是否我一直在選伴侶上注意的點不是最重要的.... 主啊, 幫助我.. seek and desire for things above, not worldly things, and most of them are tangible things. This is such an opposite teaching from what the world is telling us through media, TV, news, products, all over the world. Help me to not be trapped inside blindly and re-shift my focus back on things unseen that Your heart is on.
彼前1:20-21 基督在創世以前是預先被 神知道的, 卻在這末世才為你們顯現. 你們也因著他, 信那叫他從死裡復活, 又給他榮耀的 神, 叫你們的信心和盼望都在於 神.
彼前1:23-25 你們蒙了重生, 不是由於能壞的種子, 乃是由於不能壞的種子, 是藉著 神活潑常存的道. 因為: “凡有血氣的, 盡都如草, 他的美榮都像草上的花. 草必枯乾, 花必凋謝; 唯有主的道是永存的.“
我何等榮幸跟感恩能生在耶穌顯現的末世.. get to know Him after His resurrection, and be able to build my foundation in Him! 基督是被預定的.. 而我的出生也是被預定的.. 為著我的年代, 我在 神big picture的計畫裡, 我蒙了這樣的恩... 其實話語真的有限, 我也不是很會表達我的感受的人... 簡單的說, 我找到生命永恆的意義, 生命認識那永不壞種子的源頭!
歌羅西書3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3:22b 講到做僕人 (slaves) 的心態... "不要只在眼前伺奉, 像是討人喜歡的, 總要存心誠實敬畏主." 不是第一次讀到這節, 但今天有個另一個感想... 相對來說, 那應該不像是討人喜歡的服事, 應該是討主喜悅.. seek the things above, not on what's seen on earth. 忽然, 想到什麼是things above?! 代表不是我現在肉眼看得到的東西 (think of character, souls), 之後.. 想到什麼是我們容易看到的 - money, and then.. talents! 我想到我很看重伴侶的, 其中一項是... 才能! 我很在意我以後的伴侶要有我很佩服的某個才幹, it doesn't limited to a certain area, just.. sth that attracts me that I know! 忽然覺得是否我一直在選伴侶上注意的點不是最重要的.... 主啊, 幫助我.. seek and desire for things above, not worldly things, and most of them are tangible things. This is such an opposite teaching from what the world is telling us through media, TV, news, products, all over the world. Help me to not be trapped inside blindly and re-shift my focus back on things unseen that Your heart is on.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Romans 12:15-18, 21
與喜樂的人要同樂．與哀哭的人要同哭。 要彼此同心．不要志氣高大、倒要俯就卑微的人。〔人或作事〕不要自以為聰明。 不要以惡報惡、眾人以為美的事、要留心去作。 若是能行、總要盡力與眾人和睦。 你不可為惡所勝、反要以善勝惡。
Lately my cell group leader has emphasized what entails a good cell group, is to care for one another in action. We're to pray and lift up the one who's weak.. not just me or you, but WE. Jesus' commands are soo different from the world's values; stay renewed and not go astray.
Lately my cell group leader has emphasized what entails a good cell group, is to care for one another in action. We're to pray and lift up the one who's weak.. not just me or you, but WE. Jesus' commands are soo different from the world's values; stay renewed and not go astray.
Friday, August 7, 2009
2 Corinthians
My all time fav. verses: 2Cor. 4:7-9 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from GOd and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
Today I liked so much about the one after it... v. 10, We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. WE ARE, at this moment, representing both His resurrection and ALSO death... for we need to constantly kill all that's unpleasing to God, unbecoming conduct and habits!
Today I liked so much about the one after it... v. 10, We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. WE ARE, at this moment, representing both His resurrection and ALSO death... for we need to constantly kill all that's unpleasing to God, unbecoming conduct and habits!
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