LivingRoom Topical Night

Last night's LivingRoom gathering was pretty interesting. We were supposed to have a topical night, but we ended up watching the taped news and responded to it together as a group. We watched three news items: (1) Earthquake Toll (2) Hit-Run case (3) Drink Driving.

I enjoyed the responses of my fellow LivingRoomers. We had times of discussion, reflection, minor debate, sharing of Scripture on the topic, moral issues and thoughts on philosophical principles. Then we closed with a time of prayer at the end. It was quite an enjoyable way of interaction and a good idea to share values and get to know one another.

What do you reckon?

Sinners and Sin

I asked a question two days ago here regarding sin and sinners. I think that the topic of 'sinners and sin' are not discussed often enough in our world, even in our faith communities or churches.

I believe that the Biblical view is that we are sinners because we sin. We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God, so it is our nature to sin. Since we are natural-born sinners, therefore we sin.

Tsunami / Earthquake Terror Stricks again

More than a thousand, perhaps even up to as many as 2000 people could be dead after a powerful earthquake struck in the Indian Ocean off western Sumatra, damaging cities across an area of several hundred kilometres and sparking widespread fear of another catastrophic tsunami.

A photo of the city centre of Gunung Sitoli on Nias Island which lies in ruins after this earthquake and more details can be read here

Does it surprise you that these tsunami hits happened just after Christmas and Easter? It really struck me! God is certainly telling us something!

A Special Day

It was a special day today, not only because it was the Easter Sunday, but also because there were 28 of my brothers and sisters in Christ getting baptised in CCBC this afternoon. The whole place was packed, and it was family and friends gathering together to witness this special occasion in a special atmosphere. A bit of scripture about baptism was shared. Then the 28 lovely people, one after the other, were immersed into the water and came back up as they declared their faith publicly through baptsim. It was a very special time. I felt like crying when I saw these people, old and young, all surrendered their lives to our Risen Lord on this special day. Bless you all! May you continue to grow in Jesus and communicate His love and saving grace to the people around you.

Skype contacts

Have you got Skype? According to the website, it is free Internet telephony that just works.
So if you would like to chat, or discuss with me about the question of my previous post, just skype me on kittycheng3211, or you can let me know of your username if you like.
By the way, my icq is 97107065, and msn is kitping@optusnet.com.au

Looking forward to connecting with you, and you and you and you - all over the world!

A Question

Are we sinners because we sin? or do we sin because we are sinners?

Celebrate Messiah Australia

Barry Buirski came to CCBC to share about his work at Celebrate Messiah and a Good Friday special gathering and sharing on "Christ in the Passover Feast". It was really inspiring and interesting. He shared about how as a young Jewish man he had to uphold all 613 laws in the Old Testament, and now he feels so free because Jesus Christ's atoning work on the cross has set him free.

He went through and demonstrated the 5 'kiddish' cups with us:
(1) cup of sanctification
(2) cup of plague s
(3) cup of redemption (which is the main theme for the feast of passover lamb)
(4) cup of praise
(5) cup of Elijah

Barry also talked about Jesus as the Lamb of God in reference to His being the perfect and ultimate sacrifice for sin. The whole sacrificial system established by God in the Old Testament set the stage for the coming Jesus Christ, who is the perfect sacrifice that God would provide as atonement for the sins of His people (Romans 8:3; Hebrews 10).

The sacrifice of lambs played a very important role in the Jewish religious life and their sacrificial system. When John the Baptist referred to Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), the Jews who heard him might have immediately thought of any one of several important sacrifices. With the time of the Passover Feast being very near the first thought might be the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb. The Passover Feast was one of the main Jewish holidays and a celebration in remembrance of when God delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. In fact the slaying of the Passover lamb and the applying of blood to door posts of the houses in order for the angel of death to pass over those people who are “covered by the blood” (Exodus 12:11-13) is a beautiful picture of Christ’s atoning work on the cross. And it's amazing that all Old Testament scripture in the Bible contains signposts towards Jesus' life and death.

Kel's interview questions for me

5Q4 Kitty of Peregrine Sojo:

• You've had heart surgery and you're so young! How did you cope with it and how long was your recovery time?

I was only 12 years old when I had my heart surgery (I had a hole in my heart). Since I was so young, it was quite easy for me to recover under my parents' care.

• What's your all time fave karaoke song? Words please.

Greatest Love of All....**MUSIC** "I believe that children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way, show them all the beauty they possess inside...." (can you hear me sing hehe?)

• Where would you start your world trip and where would you end it?

I would start my world trip in Europe (in fact I'm going there in June for a short term mission trip hehe), and I would end it in South America.

• Why are you going to Ignition?

I am going to Ignition because the leaders of Ignition Dee Kaylock and Eugene Wong are my good friends. I am in the committee team and am very inspired by the vision and purpose of Ignition. I also want to connect with many other artists in Australia through it. Another reason is that I am passionate about creative arts and want to deepen my relationship with God through the gathering, and learn ways to engage artists in my neighbourhood in a contemporary and relevant manner.

• Who from the blogosphere would you invite to share a gourmet pizza with you, and why? And please share a link to their blogs.

I would share a gourmet pizza with Stephen Said. Stephen used to be my collegemate and a very intelligent and inspiring guy. His blog is at http://www.neurotribe.net/blog/

Thanks for your questions Kel!

LivingRoom Easter Special

Last night at LivingRoom Darren facilitated an Easter special. It was very meaningful and creative. After a very delicious vegetarian dinner, we started the gathering by sitting around a big circle (we had 6 new friends this week, so i felt like an oldie now hehe).

The last chapters of the 4 gospels were printed off and cut into pieces of paper. Each of us chose one or two of the gospel stories to meditate on, and then we read the passages and shared our ponderings and reflections.

Darren also gave us all a small piece of paper with the following questions as starting points:

• What words or statements ring in your ears after reading this passage?
• What does it leave your wondering?
• What does it leave your feeling?
• Does it call you to some sort of response?
• Where do you see yourself in the story?
• What hadn't you noticed before?
• What does it teach you about God?
• What does it tell you about yourself and humanity?

I quite enjoyed the experience, as different people had different worldviews and ways of looking at things.
I was struck by the various similar and different emotions that each of us expressed - and I left LivingRoom feeling closer and more intimate with the Lord. I am so grateful for His love for us.

At this Easter Season, I pray that we can all draw closer to HIM that died for all of us.

Festival Victoria News

According to the "Transforming Melbourne" newsletter, there is much cause for thanksgiving to God for the evangelistic event last weekend.

Massive organisation, work, finances, great co-operation across more than 800 churches and faithful prayer by many thousands invested in this weekend. The real fruit will be seen over the next generation, but the response so far has been wonderful.

The Festival started on Friday morning with 1200 business and civic leaders at a breakfast addressed by Franklin Graham. About 92,000 people attended over the 4 meetings at Telstra Dome - with 37,500 attending the youth event on Saturday night. 6,500 people of all ages went forward for counselling and 4,000 made first-time professions of faith.

The counselling was done by the 3,200 people trained for the event, many volunteering with trepidation, but experiencing new freedom and faith as they sensed the Lord leading them. At the final Event, the Governor General, Major General Michael Jeffery spoke of his faith in Jesus.

PLEASE PRAY:

• For the effective follow-up and discipling of these many special people, that their new faith will be nurtured and they will find Jesus' love and welcome from His people.
• For the $400,000 still outstanding in the $1.8 million budget.
• For the great cooperation and relationship between the thousands of Christians from all denominations for this event to continue and lead to a common vision and commitment to represent the One Body of Jesus to our city together.

Festival Victoria 2005 with Franklin Graham

Festival Victoria 2005 with Franklin Graham was held this weekend (March 18-20). The goal of Festival Victoria 2005 was to strengthen the local churches by mobilising the Christian community to assemble as many people as possible to hear the message that Jesus Christ is "the way, the truth, and the life."

Apparently over 800 churches throughout Victoria and across denominations were working together to share Jesus with friends, school mates, neighbours, and work colleagues. Franklin Graham, son of internationally recognised Evangelist Dr. Billy Graham, was the speaker during this three day festival.

Prior to March there had been months of training and preparation through prayer and personal outreach as the churches of Victoria came together in unity to support and participate in the Festival in a variety of ways. Through a simple activity called Operation Andrew, Christians were encouraged and mobilised to pray for and invite their friends, neighbours, and colleagues to the Festival.

I personally had invited 5 friends to the Festival, and was happy to see two of them accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour :)

Interview Questions

Here are the interview questions for Kel, who was the first fellow blogger who commented on my blog on the interview meme. Kel will answer them on her website and then offer to interview the first five commenters who request to be interviewed and so on.

* can you elaborate your opinion that every human being has an X facta?

* what are your thoughts and ideas about emergent church and experiential worship?

* how can creative arts be used as a therapy or alternative healthcare?

* what was being a news writer / editor for a weekly magazine like?

* when and how did you become a Christian?


The followings are the interview questions for peacefulsoul - the path to enlightment , who was the second fellow blogger who commented on my blog on the interview meme. Here we are:

* in your opinion, what are the similarities and differences between a new ager and a cultural creative?

* you mentioned 'pray for the right choice' in Jesus' name, what you mean by that?

* why do you see yourself as an itinerant?

* how do you keep your soul peaceful at all times?

*in what ways can natural medicine help alleviate the sufferings / pains of the whole world?

The Interview Meme

I was given some interview questions by Maryam -
http://www.maryams.net/dervish/index.php/2005/03/16/interview_questions

The interview meme works like this: I answer my questions on my blog because I put a comment on Maryam's blog. Then the first five readers of my blog who put comments on my blog will have tailor made questions for them. They then answer the questions on their blogs and offer to write interview questions for the first five of their readers etc etc. This is the meme sweeping the blogosphere at the moment, and here are my answers to Mariam's questions.

* There are three parts to this question:

a) Do you take advantage of living in Southbank?

I used to take it for granted and only saw Southbank as a place that I came back to from study / work. Starting from this year, I certainly have taken more notice of my 'proximity space' (neighbourhood) and hence I do take advantage of living in Southbank.

b)how often do you partake of Melbourne art, culture and fine dining?

Quite often actually. I go to the Federation Square, Arts Centre and various art galleries frequently (especially those free ones hehe). I enjoy the opportunities to meet with people (whether it's online or in person) from various cultures (Melbourne is well known for its multi-culturalism). I also take part in cultural events regularly too. Currently I am involved in the committee team of Ignition, which is a creative artists gathering in Melbourne. Regarding fine dining, I'd love to do it more often (if finance allows), cos I just love food.

c) what is your favourite restaurant in Southbank?

Koko at Crown

* What is a typical day in the life of a mission mobilizer with World Team Australia?

Well it's kinda difficult to pinpoint a typical day in the life of a mission mobilizer with World Team Australia, but basically I organise, plan, present, pray, care for and coordinate. So in any given day, I do one / few of these things.

Let me just summarise my work for you so you have an idea of what I do in general. I organise regular ‘focus’ mission nights, put together power point, video or dvd materials, present in various bible colleges, Christian groups at universities, youth groups and churches etc, where we share the mission needs of the world. I also coordinate short term mission trips and pre-trip training, care and pray for potential missionaries here in Australia. I also attend quite a number of conferences and seminars throughout the year. And God willing, I also travel to other countries.

* When and how did you find your faith as a Christian?

I was born into a Buddhist (with ancestor worship) family in Hong Kong. My parents brought me to a Christian primary school because they felt that Christian schools were better academically. Through religious education, I heard about the stories of Jesus, but Christ never meant much to me then. During grade five, I had a very high fever and was admitted to hospital. A couple from a nearby church came to do hospital visitation and witnessed to me. I understood that through the cross God is saying "I love you". I really sensed God's love in a way that I had not before, and I accepted Jesus as my Saviour and Lord on this day, while I was still very sick. That night my life changed, and it has never gone back :)

* What was going to Tabor like?

Going to Tabor was one of the most life transforming experiences for me. I really enjoyed Tabor's lecturers who were all so passionate about life, faith and spirituality. The course that I did not only provided the intellectual stimulus and spiritual growth that I had needed, it also allowed me to appreciate other cultures and religions. I also enjoyed sharing the Tabor life with my collegemates whom have become very good friends of mine :)

* If you were going to be stranded on a desert island, what five items would you have to take with you?

1. bible
2. a devotional book
3. journal
4. pen
5. my laptop

PS : The first 5 people to send me a request / comment here, will be given their own tailor made questions from me personally. So please send me a comment now and have some fun in getting to know other bloggers a bit better.

Bring Your Own Worship - "Home"

Last night at Living Room we had a great BYO Worship night. Each of us was invited to bring a small reflection, story, activity, meditation or anything personal to share with the group on the theme of ‘Home’. We were fasting during the night so didn't have the normal dinner time.

It was really special and interesting to see the various things that people brought to the group. Amongst many things we did on the night, there were sharing of songs, photos, toy, visitor's book, quotes, scriptural verses, memories, discussions, filling out of a form, personal journey with God & family life etc.

To me personally, it was one of the most empowering worship experiences I have ever had. In the midst of the sharing, we had a wonderful time of prayers and silence. I felt that I got to know other members of the group a little deeper, and also experienced a very intimate relationship and worship time with God. I sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit in this BYO Worship night so vividly, and He surely spoke powerfully to me on the topic of "Home". And I feel very blessed to be a person with a home, most importantly I have an eternal 'home' in heaven.

"..... what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives , as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness."
(2 Peter 3:11-13)

New Logo of World Team

http://www.worldteam.org/default.htm

Peter Allen

Peter Allen, the writer of my favourite song "I still call Australia home", is an interesting artist.

http://www.bluedesert.dk/peterallen.html

Australia is my home

Even though I feel like a peregrine sojourner, Australia is still my home :)

"I Still Call Australia Home"
I've been to cities that never close down, from New York to Rio and old London town, but no matter how far or how wide I roam, I still call Australia home.

I'm always travelling, I love being free, and so I keep leaving the sun and the sea, but my heart lies waiting over the foam, I still call Australia home.

All the sons and daughters spinning 'round the world, away from their family and friends, but as the world gets older and colder, it's good to know where your journey ends. Someday we'll all be together once more, when all of the ships come back to the shore, I'd realise something I've always known, I still call Australia home. but no matter how far or wide I roam, I still call Australia I still call Australia, I still call Australia home. but no matter how far or wide I roam, I still call Australia I still call Australia, I still call Australia home.

Characteristics Of Great Artists

1. cultivate your curiosity
2. ask questions
3. never stop learning
4. stimulate your senses
5. broaden your mind - through both arts and science

what else???

Bourke Street Mall Upgrade

Preparation is under way to revamp Bourke Street Mall in the heart of the CBD of Melbourne (which is my proximity space) with construction beginning in earnest from the middle of the year.

The work will open up the mall, providing spaces for staging special events and more comfortable and attractive public seating. Large trees will provide more shade and colour, while suspended light fittings will replace light poles and deliver a less-cluttered mail. You know what? I'm excited about that (no kidding). Truly Melbourne is a GREAT city!

For more info visit http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=192&pa=1323&pg=1346

The Rich Man & The Pavement

There once was a rich man who was near death. He was very grieved because he had worked so hard for his money and wanted to be able to take it with him to heaven. So he began to pray that he might be able to take some of his wealth with him.
An angel heard his plea and appeared to him. "Sorry, but you can't take your wealth with you."
The man begged the angel to speak to God to see if He might bend the rules. The man continued to pray that his wealth could follow him.
The angel reappeared and informed the man that God had decided to allow him to take one suitcase with him. Overjoyed, the man gathered his largest suitcase and filled it with pure gold bars and placed it beside his bed.
Soon afterward, he died and showed up at the gates of heaven to greet St. Peter.
St. Peter, seeing the suitcase, said, "Hold on, you can't bring that in here!"
The man explained to St. Peter that he had permission and asked him to verify his story with the Lord.
Sure enough, St. Peter checked it out, came back and said, "You're right. You are allowed one carry-on bag, but I'm supposed to check its contents before letting it through."
St. Peter opened the suitcase to inspect the worldly items that the man found too precious to leave behind and exclaimed, "You brought pavement?"

Jesus the Revolutionary (3)

• Jesus questioned about fasting - Jesus and his disciples did not fast, they were at the party feasting like everyone else. And they evidently didn’t fast on the other days, either. Jesus is someone new, he is the Messiah. He has brought new life, the life of God himself, and made it available to people. And this new life demands new forms of expression.

• "Is the old better?" We can get so used to the ways we have been doing things that we are not willing to change our forms to be more effective in communicating the gospel effectively to others. There is a danger that our love of the familiar may keep us from staying in step with Jesus and what he is doing. We need to stay willing to change our wineskins as needed!

I believe that the new wine of the unchanging gospel needs to be poured anew, and into new wineskins of a radically contextualised church. I think creative young people of Christ should engage in the many cultures and subcultures in Australia to plant unconventional church (faith communities).
What do you think about that? How do you feel about that?

Jesus the Revolutionary (2)

I've been reflecting on Luke 5:27-39 and found that this passage of scripture reveals Jesus as a revolutionary:

• Jesus called Levi - To Levi (also known as Matthew), Jesus gave the privilege of being his friend, follower and apostle. He was a tax collector (an outcast) and the author of the first book of the New Testament! Levi throws a party for Jesus and invites his friends (the outcasts!). Jesus shows up at his party with his disciples—and the trouble starts . . .

• The Pharisees' complaint - The Pharisees and the teachers of the law complained about Jesus eating and drinking with 'sinners'. This shows that Jesus had a revolutionary ministry-focus.

• Jesus didn't come to call the 'righteous', but sinners to repentance - Jesus can’t come help the self-righteous, he has nothing to offer people who think they are good enough to get to God on their own.

Jesus the Revolutionary (1)

Today some friends and I watched the video "The Revolutionary Epic" - which was a portrayal of Jesus as in the gospels. The life of Jesus, from his birth, his ministry, his death, his resurrection to his ascension, was presented in a fresh and captivating way.

That really got me thinking....was Jesus really a revolutionary? I've come up with some points which I'll write about in the next few days.

So do you see Jesus as a revolutionary? I'd be really interested in knowing what you think.

Tabor Bible College Graduation Ceremony

Today I attended the Tabor Graduation Ceremony where more than 20 of my friends graduated (what a joyful day!). Amongst the many happy moments, one that inspired me a lot was the graduands' charge (which I was given when I graduated from my mission studies degree last year at Tabor too). The Charge goes like this:

in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his Kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word: be prepared in season and out of season: correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction. For there will come a time when people will not put up with sound doctrine. But as for you, be clear minded in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry (2 Tim 4:1-3,5).

The Response goes like this:

I commit above all to seek His presence and to pursue an ever closer and deeper relationship with Jesus Christ my Lord, and to continue to faithfully follow Him and, relying upon Him and the empowering of the Holy Spirit, to faithfully discharge whatever duties of ministry and service He may call me to.

Amen amen amen amen....that's my prayer and my heart!

So what do you think of this charge?

gO2Xtremes

You're invited to go with me to a weekend for anyone interested in what God's doing around the world - the gO! global mission explo - the theme for this year is gO2Xtremes !

When: 13-15 May 2005
Where: Phillip Island Adventure Resort

http://www.hesaidgo.info

Bipolar Disorder

I've been doing a research on a medical condition callled Bipolar Disorder, also known as Manic Depression.

The followings are some of the symptoms of this condition:

Warning signs of ‘going high’
1. rushing around and doing things quickly, and being too excited
2. problems with sleeplessness
3. feeling irritable and annoyed easily
4. anxiety, stress
5. overspendng
6. ideas flowing too fast
7. can’t seem to get to sleep
8. being uncooperative
9. involved in many projects at the same time

Warning signs of ‘going low’
1. tearfulness and lack of motivation
2. clinical depression
3. fear, anger and feeling confused
4. low in energy, tired (wanting to sleep all the time)
5. don’t like seeing people
6. thinking about death
7. low interest in many things
8. nothing seems enjoyable

Problems at work can be eased by arranging to talk about what has happened with a trusted colleague or the boss, and if the boss allows time out

Suggestions of staying well
1. Relapse prevention – keep close to God and understand early signs
2. Taking medication regularly
3. Sorting out ongoing and long term problems
4. Communicating effectively
5. Developing a quality of life
6. Building stress management techniques (eg: meditation, recreation, and having prayer partners)

Don't miss out!

hey just a reminder to register online now for Ignition creative artists' gathering....really hope to meet you there!

http://christianartists.com.au

http://candlelightproductions.com.au

Are you radical?

At LivingRoom tonight we did a bible study where we were divided into two teams who had to argue for and against the quote below.

"We can only be radical if we start with God. We cannot get involved with all the political issues of today. What we've got to do is try and make the journey we are making as Christ would make it."
Geoffry Magrasse.

After about 15 minutes of discussion separately, the two teams came back and shared what they came up with. The followings were some of the points that came up:

• what is radical?
• in little things as well as in big things
• starting from grassroot up? be radical in your own community
• Kingdom of God is within subtle transformation
• Jesus was the most radical person
• you can't be radical without God's transformation
• Jesus and Paul didn't focus on social structures only
• love commandments: loving God, loving one another, and loving oneself
• the issues of Christians in mainstream politics
• the politics of everyday life
• do we start with God, or does God start with us?
• Christians aren't the only instrument that God uses
• God works in history
• The Body of Christ is called as a whole to be involved with political issues
• it is artificial to separate politics from personal issues
• it's not a matter of 'trying' to imitate God or make the journey as Christ would make it, but rather following Christ and experience his 'surprises'

These are only some of what we've discussed. And to me this was a very meaningful night of interaction, where we shared and listened to one another.

So what do you think of Geoffrey Magrasse's quote? Are you radical?