I'm home!

After 3 whole weeks of overseas trip in summer places, Tomika and I arrived back in the winter Melbourne this morning after hours of sitting in a plane and in airports. The jetlag wasn't too bad although I only managed to catch a few hours sleep on the plane. After I got back, I spent some time with my beloved mum, caught up with some sleep this afternoon before having dinner with my dear friend candice who just turned 21 today! It was so good to see her as I missed her very much!

It's nearly midnight. I now feel semi-normal, although it's kind of hard to relax after so much adrenalin has been pumped into my system for the past few weeks (and the over 300 photos to upload)! I am looking forward to spending more time processing, reflecting on the things I'd learned and special blessings during the trip, catching up with friends and work (no kidding!) and settling back into a rountine of day-to-day living.

I feel that I have been much blessed and I am being much blessed. I want to take joy wherever I go. I want to pass every blessing on. I want to pass on the God-currents to others. I want to be a transmitter of God's love. I want to love and laugh. I want to cheer and seek to understand others.

During the trip, I learned that I can see God in the dull, the normal, the uninteresting, the sinful, the critical, and even the miserable (yes i've seen quite a few of those). I can see God in the laughter of children and the sweetness of old age, in the courage of youth and the patience of man and womanhood. No matter where we are, we can see God!

Will share more in the days ahead.

Fellow Bloggers

Thanks Christop, Silvin, Kel and you all fellow bloggers for your support, encouragement and prayers while I am overseas. I've been missing the internet and blogging, and although i've had a ball, I am glad that i'll be home soon. Then I can restart blogging daily again. Oh boy how I miss that routine. Anyway, I've taken heaps of pictures, something like over 300 (including with my DC and films), and I'm looking forward to posting them up to share with you what i've been up to when I am in Europe when I come back.

Hey Christop, you've got to come to my place after I come back to show me the "Hello Piccasa" photo thingi k? Kel would love to tell you more about the arty things that I've experienced too.

Will be back in a few days and catch ya all again here soon.

Times in Europe

Greeting from the sunny London! My times in Europe (Paris & London) have been fantastic! Meeting with the people working there has been inspiring and challenging. I've had 5 new kinds of food one day in Paris, and gained many new impressions and insights too. I praise God for all that.

The dish on the left is the appetizer hosted by an Antillean family (from Guadeluope) in Paris, whose church was planted by World Team missionaries years ago. Their sharing and commitment to the Lord has really inspired me. I pray that God will continue to bless them and their ministries to serve people in France.

Christian Arts

The CCBC English Drama Team did a play called "The Onion Life" two years ago, where the role that I played contemplated suicide. I remember having to struggle with the controversy that came with it. I watched that play on DVD again tonight, and was reminded of the discussion we had at Ignition regarding truth in art.

Is it ok for Christians to portray negative or so called “evil things” (eg: suicide scenes) in their art? In church history, when drama was used in churches, there was concern about whether evil characters (like Satan or Judas Iscariot etc) should be used in these plays.

There was an example mentioned during Ignition about a play that seeked to communicate what it meant to be a virtuous woman. It was eventually decided that in order to show what a virtuous woman was like, a woman with the exact opposite was portrayed in the play – and quite a lot of discussions and debates resulted. Another side of the argument says that 'Christian' art can end up making evil ‘better’ than it really is, or avoiding portraying evil at all.

Europe

My lovely workmate Tomika and I leave for Europe on Thursday morning. We'll be away for just on 3 weeks so posts might not be as frequent. Still wondering if I should bring my laptop with me or not.

Intergenerational Worship Celebration

Today at CCBC during the Connect Worship Celebration, we had an intergenerational 'service' where the children, youth, uni students, adults and family all worshipped together corporately. The theme was on CCBC in mission, and I was given the opportunity to plan for the flow (logistics) of the worship celebration to introduce the missionaries at CCBC. We had praise and worship (with actions), puppetry, powerpoint presentation, flash presentation and interactive prayer.

Apart from the ambivalence about the differences between emerging missional church and mainline church, I found that even within the mainstream churches, there are so many various ways of 'doing church'. And intergenerational worship celebrations can really be among the most intriguing, moving, memorable and yet challenging worship services a congregation can 'produce' (yet I really don't like this word because of the consumeristic tone to it). Some people have seen it work well, but most confess that 'success' does not come as often as they'd like (then again what is success???). The truth is that it's not easy to 'structure' or 'plan' worship so that it engages, challenges and satisfies a wide array of ages, needs and learning styles. But I do see the benefits of intergenerational gathering - the followings are some of them:

• Families whose parents are busy are looking for ways to spend meaningful time with their children that will spur them to further sharing and conversation.
• Intergenerational worship often provides an avenue for interaction and integration between older and younger members of a community.
• It can work well at introducing / integrating new members into a congregation as well as providing ways for older, harder to get to know members to become more accessible and more part of the growing, changing social life of a community.
• It gives the younger members an experience of seeing what adults do when they worship.
• It's been said that effective intergenerational worship is often one of the most common characteristics shared by our fastest growing churches.
• Intergenerational Worship can be fun, memorable and meaningful!

I wonder what you think about Intergenerational worship / gathering.

Seeds of Hope China

Tonight I went to an evening function hosted by "Partners International" focusing on the project "Seeds of Hope", and I found the program very meaningful. The Seeds of Hope program is forming partnerships to provide food, clothing and education to 1,000 underpriviledge children in Asia. With gift of $30 per month children's lives can be transformed. They will be fed, clothed and will learn to read and write. They will also learn of the love of God. Children are really precious and valuable. It is true that unperprivileged children can't escape the devastating effects of poverty and fulfil their full potential.

If you are interested in knowing more, you can read their website here.

Schapelle Corby

Having watched the news footages of Schapelle Corby, who was found guilty of drug smuggling and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in Indonesia last Friday (27 May), I have been thinking about it this past week. I must admit I don't know whether Schapelle is really guilty or not, yet I have this huge 'burden' in my heart to want to know the truth (just like I want to know the truth in many other things)!

On the other hand, I feel that the debate over her verdict very interesting. A lot of people (including myself in the beginning) declare her innocence without really knowing the truth, they just assume she is innocent based on the fact that she looks innocent (well that was my first impression anyway), or the emotions that she showed in the court.

I do pray that her newfound faith in God during her time in prision is sincere. Something I'll watch with interest as well....

Pilate's question: "what is truth?" keeps coming to my mind these past few days! As I've found that I feel ambivalent about many things lately, apart from Corby's case.

Interested in others' thoughts.

Sick Leave

Today was the first day I needed to take a sick leave in the whole year. I have had the onset of the cold for a week now. Have been taking various sorts of tablets / chinese meds and drinks etc., and thought I got better, but this morning when I got up a huge tiredness and then headache embraced me. I told myself I would be better after my shower, but nah! I felt like I was going to 'collapse', so I went straight back to bed and rested for almost the rest of the day, goes to show that I am still pretty easily 'attacked' by the cold weather!

Oh Lord I really need to be more disciplined in engaging in physical exercise, I'm almost certain that is the reason why I get the cold / flu so easily.

Putting Pictures On Blog Through Hello

Pardon my ignorance, but I've downloaded Hello for ages now, yet still haven't got around to learning how to put pictures on my blog here. Can someone give me a quick tute on that?

Or is there any other easier way of putting up photos in blogspot?

Four directions for a Christian to look:

Look back—and praise Him,
Look up—and trust Him,
Look around—and serve Him,
Look ahead –and expect Him.

Prayer Without Ceasing

Have been thinking of and practising "prayerise, picturise & actualise" almost all day today, it was a weired thing that I understood it, but found it hard to verbalise. I sensed that God was telling me the following:

"You are learning your lesson. You are being led out into a large place. Talk to Me day and night. Look up into My face - I reveal Myself to you in the most ordinary ways, even as you are talking with friends, doing your daily chore or just looking at birds flying. A look of love and care, a feeling of security, a thrill of joy at the sense of the nearness of My Presence - these are your best prayers. You don't have to use big words, just chat with me as you go about your day and business (busy-ness). Let these smooth the day's work. Prayer is of many kinds, but of whatever kind, prayer is the linking up of the soul and mind and heart to God."

Because the soul, being linked to God, united to Him, receives in and through Him all things. This is how prayers are answered.

Father God, goodnight! Thank you for showing yourself to me through the people and friends that I meet, through the little things that happen daily, and through sensing the nearness of Your awesome and wonderful Presence! I just want to tell you that I love you Lord!

Church Planting Resources

Have a look at newchurches.com . It's an amazing site which includes some great church planting resources. Really worth keeping an eye on it. I know I will!

Prayerise, Picturise & Actualise

Today I heard about a creative businessman's simple formula for solving his problems and overcoming his difficulties through prayer power. It is a curious formula: (1) PRAYERISE, (2) PICTURISE, (3) ACTUALISE.

• "Prayerise": a daily system of creative prayer. Talk it over with God very simply and directly in prayer.

This guy "prayerised" his daily life by conceiving of God as being with him in his office, in his home, on the street, in his car, always nearby as a partner, and as a close friend. He interprets it as meaning that he should go about every day discussing with God in a natural, normal manner the questions that had to be decided and dealt with. He fills his daily life full of prayer - "pray without ceasing".

• "Picturise": have a vision of what will happen. The basic factor in psychology is the relisable wish.

The man who assumes success tends already to have success. People who assume failure tend to have failure.

• "Actualise": When either failure or success is picturised or visualised in one's mind, it strongly tends to actulise in terms equivalent to the mental image pictured.

He claims that to assure something worth while happening, first pray about it and test it according to God's will: then print a picture of it on the mind as happening, holding the picture firmly in consciousness. Continue to surrender the picture to God and follow His guidance. That which you have prayerised and picturised will actualise in God's power.

What do you think of this three-point prayer method? I think I will try it. How about you?

Friendship

Coincidence? Divine Guidance?
In our lives we 'collide' with many people,
Some move towards us, others away from us.
Some we choose to remember, others to forget.
Some we connect for a while, others for life.
These special few we are entrusted with,
for each has made an impact on the other,
and their memory will live on forever.

Not coincidence, but divine guidance!

Music & Worship

This past few days saw me thinking about music & worship. I've been a worship leader for many years now. To me, music can truly transport me from the everday to the sublime, and draw close to God in worship. It 'stirs' emotions and affirms our humanness, provides joy, pleasure and solace, even releases memories.

Throughout history, there are different concepts of worship. The Hebrew concepts of worship consider themes like priesthood and God’s covenant with Israel. The Greek concepts describe our relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Contemporary concepts of worship indicate that our everyday-life is worship and service to God; all members of the church have access to God (Romans 5:2) and a share in the Holy Spirit. Despite the differences in the concepts during various eras, God desires us to continually have an attitude of worship in all that we do and say. Worship is our reason for being. Therefore, I believe that although music / singing can be used as a great expression of worship, it is really not the only form like many people think. There are many other wonderful expressions of worship other than music. I have been really enjoying alternative experiential worship, and basically contemplating and intentionally living a worshipful life.

What do you reckon?

The Ten Commandments for Reducing Stress

1. Thou shalt NOT be perfect, nor try to be.
2. Thou shalt NOT try to be all things to all people.
3. Thou shalt leave things undone that ought to be done.
4. Thous shalt NOT spread thyself too thin.
5. Thou shalt learn to say NO.
6. Thou shalt schedule time for thyself, and thy supportive network.
7. Thou shalt switch off, do nothing, regularly.
8. Thou shalt be boring, untidy, inelegant and unattractive at times.
9. Thou shalt NOT even feel guilty!
10. Especially, thou shalt NOT be thine own worst enemy, but be thy best friend.

Wise words hey? I particularly like number 8, which one do you like best?

World Team France Conference

Exactly two weeks from today, I'll be in Paris to attend the World Team Paris Prayer Conference. I'm really excited about that! Praise the Lord! World Team has given me a sponsorship for the Conference. More importantly, I believe that prayer does make a difference in missions, and a mission trip that centers on prayer and education of the work is really worth the time.

LivingRoom Outer Journey

Tonight we had a great Peruvian feast and enjoyed the photojournals of one of our members. It was also our last vibes together before we move into our new groups, starting from next week. What was decided was to have a couple of leaders for each of the primary communities. Every month those leaders come together for a meal, prayer and discussion about how the groups are going, how they can work together etc. Then every month or so there is the bigger gathering. So the following few weeks in the new groups will include:

Week 1 - logistics & expectations for the group
Week 2 - revisiting the core values of LivingRoom
Week 3-5 - three themes / topics to explore
eg: spirituality tour, reflective night, bible focus, real life spirituality, topical night, mission & the outer journey

Thinking back the last few months since I joined LR, it's been a refreshing experience to say the least. To me personally, out of the three points that we discussed as a group in terms of how to split the group (missional, relational and logistics), I think missional focus is most important to me personally. I will be in a creative/arts type group and pray that we will walk the outer journey together as a 'tribe' (God willing).

I'm really interested in knowing how other churches have been through similar types of processes with their faith communities.

Puppetry

Two of my good friends Tomika and Candice came to my place for dinner tonight. We had so much fun chatting away. Tomika is a puppet expert. She also gave us a lesson on how to do puppetry. I had a great time learning the art. This media is very popular with children, educators and communicators.

Puppetry is one of the most ancient forms of entertainment in the world. Besides providing entertainment, this visual art form is also used for conveying meaningful messages. Over the years, Puppetry has developed into a powerful media of communication. Puppetry offers a real challenge to the imagination and creative ability of the individual and of all art mediums, it is probably the least restricted in its form, design, colour and movement and the least expensive of all animated visual art forms.

Singleness and Mission

Tomika and I went to Bible College of Victoria last Monday to represent World Team, and she gave a fantastic talk about singleness and mission, which really got me thinking!

I just found a photocopy article called "For Single Men & Women" from a book called "Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood", which is very interesting. It talks about 8 important theses on singleness when we tune in to Jesus and His contemporary single followers:

(1) Marriage, as we know it in this age, is not the final destiny of any human.
(2) Jesus Christ, the most fully human person who ever lived, was not married.
(3) The Bible celebrates celibacy because it gives extraordinary opportunity for single-minded investment in ministry for Christ.
(4) The Apostle Paul and a lot of great missionaries after him have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of God.
(5) The Apostle Paul calls singleness a gift from God.
(6) Jesus promises that forsaking family for the sake of the kingdom will be repaid with a new family, the church.
(7) God is sovereign over who gets married and who doesn't. And He can be trusted to do what is good for those who hope in Him.
(8) Mature manhood and womanhood are not dependent on being married.

Is there life after death?

Do human beings have souls? “When someone dies, will he/she continue to live?” People have been asking the same questions throughout the ages. If there is no soul, then that’s it when the protein particles become decayed, or cremated to become ashes. However almost all religions believe that human beings have souls, and that they will continue to live after death. Since there had been religions since human history, the belief that ‘there is life after death’ had been around for ages.

This morning we watched a vcd, and I was translating the sermon called "Is there life after death?" The preacher talked about a story of a person who has had a near-death experience which is recorded here .
It's really interesting how he experienced heaven and hell, and got a glimpse of eternity. To me though, I have had many glimpses of eternity because Jesus lives in me.

A Beautiful Soul

Bernadette Conlon is one of Australia's leading accordionists. I have been enjoying her music, observing her and even wanting to be her friend for a long time as I walk past her when she plays publically on the corner of Southgate and Southbank, which is only a few minutes from where I live.

I read that her dazzling technique and heart-felt renditions have earned her over 100 first-place awards in competitions. She is a four-time South Pacific Champion, 7-time Australian National Champion, and she maintains an illustrious concert schedule. Bernadette has an amazing repertoire, which ranges from classical, to jazz, pop and various folk and ethnic music; and she is never afraid to try something new. Astounding her professors in Russia with her amazing technique, she built on her already mature and sensitive musical style, resulting in a unique mastery of the instrument with a western approach, upon which she added her unique Russian teachings. Bernadette is famed for her own intricate orchestral arrangements, some of which appear on the six CD's she has released. Some of these arrangements have never been considered on accordion before.

Two weeks ago, while she was playing, on my way home, I gathered courage to approach her and spoke to her. She gave me her details, and tonight I went to see her again hoping to set up a time for coffee. I just feel that I really want to get to know her. Praise God that we are going to meet up soon.

Jesus Died For You!

Jesus died for you and me!

Sustainability of Spirituality

My mate Stephen posted some good questions regarding how people sustain themselves spiritually in his blog, especially in the emergent contexts. That really got me thinking especially now that LivingRoom is going to be splitting up into three groups.

To me personally, I feel that my spirituality is sustained through maintaining a daily walk with God (and time alone with God), prayer and reflections (especially through journalling and writing blogs), getting into the Bible, spending time with mature Christians that I respect (spiritual mentors), keeping my life in perspective and to have a balanced lifestyle, having prayer partners, taking rest breaks, doing things that are relaxing, going out with friends, building in retreat time every year. I also think that a more holistic form of spirituality needs to be encouraged - with a love of nature, love and respect for art and poetry etc, the Incarnation of Christ, no boundaries between the sacred and the secular etc.

So how do you sustain your spirituality?

God and Creativity

Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them."

REFLECTIONS:

• The creative talent that God has created in us as human beings is amazing!
• Bringing together the various elements, how do we perceive ourselves as creative beings in God’s space?
• In the beginning God created: God creates and calls us to discover the space he makes.
• The first artist is God. The first masterpiece God creates is “space”. Then God fills it out.
• How do we see our creativity….is it a gift from God?….what should we do with it?
• Is there a space to concentrate on creative process? Are there adequate strengths in relationship to creative collaboration?

Can you imagine?

This is definitely worth 5 minutes of your time.........so PLEASE take the time to imagine, reflect and enjoy........ (and TURN on your speakers!!!)

Painting & Worship

A friend who is a painter and visual arts teacher in a college shared the following which inspired me:

"Painting is a way of expression as well as an act of worship ... I discovered about five years ago that I enjoyed BIG painting particularly painting to music, not necessarily painting anything other than the rhythm and feel of the music, mind you I also liked to paint and draw from still life thru to abstract, but depicting movement has always captured my imagination. I found as I was using worship songs while I was painting I would start to worship along with painting and I started to hear the Lord speaking to me as I worked. It's a big leap from painting the words and rhythm of a song to painting God's heartbeat and His kisses I found that trust waas the bridge. I love hearing the Lord speak and some times when I paint in worship I have absolutely no idea what the picture will be I just listen to the Lord and obey. I tell you what I get such a kick out of seeing the picture especially when I start painting it and THEN the worship team sing it without being able to see what I am drawing. I also love to capture the impressions of worship and offer it back to the Lord. There's also prophetic art which is often very considered and prayed over before it is delivered."

Do you agree?

gO2Xtremes

The gO! eXplo was enjoyable. What a great time it was! I really enjoyed meeting people from different backgrounds, states, churches, faith communities on the weekend. It was fantastic to catch up with other mission leaders and young adults who are all so committed to messio dei (God's mission) and interested in what God's doing around the world. The main speaker Woody Roland's sharings were both spot on and inspirational. The warm community, great music and the blogs of young people who have gone to extrems for His cause were so encouraging!

It's my prayer that gO! can truly become a catalyst to connect people to God's global purpose.

This Weekend

I'll be away to gO! eXplo 2005 this weekend. I am really looking forward to meeting with other like-hearted and like-minded people in Philip Island Adventure Resort.

Incarnational Mission

From the Bible we learn that:

• Jesus was the Word made flesh.
• Jesus was God's self revelation in the form of the perfect human.
• Christ's life, death and resurrection is how God provided salvation and forgiveness for us.

Since my time at Tabor, I had been pondering about the concept of Incarnation / Incarnationl Mission, which is a controversial theology / theology of mission. I believe that if I am to follow Jesus' incarational mission, I am actually a missionary and that Christian life is a 24-7 matter, not just something that happens in our 'church meetings'. Our engagement with the world ought to be all encompassing.

Jesus said to His disciples, who seemed indifferent to the needs of their neighbours, "open your eyes and take a good look at what is right in front of you" (John 4 The Message). This really presents a challenge for me personally to be involved in incanational mission.

Real Life Spirituality

Good night again at LivingRoom tonight. We had a real life spirituality night where we had cards from St Luke. They were incredible selection of lovely cards with pictures and words on them. Through choosing particular cards, we got to share about our understanding of our community members, our own goals and dreams, and our obstacles in acheiving these dreams. Then we finished off with a time of prayer. I was amazed at how these little cards enabled us to share in such intimate levels. I really enjoyed the night.

Proximity Space

I've been thinking quite a lot about the concept of "proximity space" described by Mike Frost lately. His argument was that we need to live in close proximity to people and create proximity space with people rather than inviting them to programs, which at times can remove us from the community. There is value of going to where people already are, because practical and earthy spirituality is best found on a shared journey.

What do you reckon?

The Micah Call

"To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. " - Micah 6:8 (NIV)

The Micah Call:
This is a moment in history of unique potential,when the stated intentions of world leaders echo something of the mind of the Biblical prophets and the teachings of Jesus concerning the poor, and when we have the means to dramatically reduce poverty.We commit ourselves, as followers of Jesus,to work together for the holistic transformation of our communities, to pursue justice, be passionate about kindness and to walk humbly with God.We call on international and national decision-makersof both rich and poor nations, to fulfil their public promiseto achieve the Millennium Development Goalsand so halve absolute global poverty by 2015.We call on Christians everywhere to be agents of hope for and with the poor, and to work with others to hold our national and global leaders accountablein securing a more just and merciful world."

I signed up the Micah call for a while now, but it wasn't until I read Tear Australia's magazine today (thanks to my mate Stephen Said ) that I got a more comprehensive understanding of what the Micah challenge and the millennium development goals are. I'd like to encourage you to take up the challenge and sign up to the Micah call at www.micahchallenge.org

Mother's Day

It is Mother's Day today. I am sooooooo thankful that God has blessed me with the best mum on earth :) My mum has been my prayer warrior, supporter in all sort of ways, my best friend, my gossip buddy (lol), counsellor and encourager. Seriously my mum is more special to me than she could ever know, and I love her very much. I am glad we had a great time together on this special day.

"Proverbs 31:25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
Pr 31:26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
Pr 31:27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Pr 31:28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
Pr 31:29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."
Pr 31:30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Pr 31:31 Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."

Re-connecting

All human beings were created for relationships. When it comes to things like footy, politics, tv programs, food, or religions, Aussies have many various opinions. But when it comes to relationships, suddenly almost all Australians are on common ground. I read somewhere that as important as work, money, leisure and sport might appear, most Aussies put loving, healthy relationships as the top priority in their lives.

I got thinking about this today, and really our yearning for relationship shouldn't surprise us! The Bible tells us that God created us all for relationship; with Him and with eacn other. Me made us to relate! The Bible says that our deepest human longing for love, acceptance and meaning can only be met as a person re-connects with their Creator God (our loving Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ our Saviour and Holy Spirit our comforter).

Daily Routine

I've become more aware of my own daily routine lately, and find that where it intersects with others is really powerful especially when thinking about mission. I believe that becoming a part of the community and culture (sub-culture) around us is very important. I am convinced that the people that we meet regularly is a divine appointment. Interacting and engaging with those around me is something I'd love to do more often.

Focus MissioNight

We had a great time tonight at World Team Focus MissioNight in Hawthorn. Three girls who had gone on short term mission awareness trips to Peru, Chile and Indonesia shared with us their stories, experiences and beautiful photos. We also had a great time of fun, food and fellowship. I was very pleased to see some young people very interested in mission and the opportunities for short term mission trips and seeking God for long term missionary service. It was such a joy to meet with people with a smiliar passion to myself - to participate with God in the Great Commission of Jesus Christ our Lord (Matthew 28:18-20).

Some photos of the Focus MissioNight are here.

LivingRoom Multiplication

Tonight at LivingRoom we had an administrative night to share the idea of 'multiplication' and how the group should grow. I really enjoyed the open discussion and the concensus was that it was a good idea and time to multiply (start new small groups).

Having considered the relationship of the community members, missional focus and logistics of location, we decided to start a second and third group. Towards the end of the discussion, three groups were proposed and we decided that we will each pray about it for two weeks before we make the final decision. There was also a suggestion that all three groups come together every now and then regularly for a larger gathering.

Attitude

Chuck Swindoll has said, " I believe that attitude is more important than facts, than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do, than appearance, giftedness or skill."

Do you agree that how we react to what happens to us (attitude) is more important than what actually happens to us, and that we are in charge of our attitudes?

Friendly Reminder: World Team Focus MissioNight

For those of you who are in the vicinity of Melbourne, you are invited to World Team Australia's Mission Awareness night in Hawthorn 6:45 for 7:00 pm start - this Thursday 05/05/2005.
Hope to see you there!
More details here!

Logies

I really enjoyed watching the 47th Logie Award tonight. All the artists / celebrities remind me of how human beings can be so creative. I believe that God is the Creator, and humans are made in His image.

I. AM. A. CHRISTIAN

Kel says that the four words "I am a Christian" can lead to so much misunderstanding. "For many people today it has negative connotations and conjures up images of Bible bashing, self righteous indignation and other unChristlike characteristics." She also quoted the following explanations of what Maya Angelou means with those four words. As a Christian I can really identify with them :

When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin.
"I'm whispering "I was lost," Now I'm found and forgiven.
When I say..."I am a Christian" I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need CHRIST to be my guide.
When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need HIS strength to carry on.
When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.
When I say... "I am a Christian" I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.
When I say.. "I am a Christian" I still feel the sting of pain,
I have my share of heartaches So I call upon His name.
When I say.... "I am a Christian" I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow.

Are you a Christian? If you are not, how do you see Christians? If you are, how do you see yourself as a Christian? Do you agree with Maya Angelou's quotes here? What ideas of Christianity do you have personally?

Love

Love does not envy!
Love does not get jealous when someone is better than you!
Love is being happy for other's achievements!
Love is letting others be the best they can be!
Love is not showing off your strengths!
Love is not egoistic and wanting others to praise you!
Love does not want to get compliements!
Love is humble!
"LOVE IS AN INTERNET PROVIDER THAT NEVER DROPS OUT!"

The Heart of the Artist

I've been reading the book "The Heart of the Artist", which is basically about character-building for Christian people involved with arts ministry. This is a great book written for artists by an aritist. So far it's been quite insightful and challenging. Rory Noland addresses topics such as "Servanthood Versus Stardom", "The Artist in Community", "Excellence Verses Perfectionism", "Jealousy and Envy", "Managing Your Emotions", and "The Spritual Disciplines of the Artist."

There is a quote in the book that I can really relate to as an artist..." But then, no artist is normal, if he were, he wouldn't be an artist. Normal men don't create works of art. They eat, sleep, hold down routine jobs, and die. You are hypersensitive to life and nature; that's why you are able to interpret for the rest of us. But if you are not careful, that very hypersensitiveness will lead you to your destruction. The strain of it breaks every artist in time." (Irving Stone, Lust for Life)

What do you think of that quote?

Bible Focus Night

It was a stimulating night tonight at LivingRoom. We had a Bible Focus where one of our community's members read out a piece that he wrote about Jesus and Pilate. We went into "Pilate's mind". In the past, I didn't really relate to Pilate that much, but after tonight, having explored the dynamic between Jesus and Pilate, I feel that I can empathise with him.

Some of the thoughts that came up during the discussion:

• Pilate's question: "what is truth?"
• Pilate only had the power to give Jesus over to death because he was given the power...
• Pilate was so weak and powerless....he was trying to find a way out, but he couldn't...
• Pilate is the icon of the age...the 'whatever' mentality...being pushed around by others...
• Pilate lacked conviction, he had no sense of what is right...
• Pilate was not bold enough to stand up...
• "If enough people say it's right, then it must be right"???

Journalling

Journalling is an important part of my life, I enjoy doing it every day because there are many benefits:

1. Catch my deep inner-self
2. Expression of all I am
3. Heartbeat on paper (and computer)
4. Pause in life
5. Healthy way of expressing feelings
6. Healthy way of forgiving
7. Brings inner harmony
8. Receive guidance from the Lord

Would love to hear about your journalling experiences too.

Anzac Day Reflection

I believe that ANZAC Day - 25 April - is probably Australia's most important national occasion. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Over 8,000 Australian soldiers were killed. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians at home and 25 April quickly. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they soon took in that name endures to this day.

Today is ANZAC Day - in fact 90 years after the orginal ANZAC Day. It is a day when Australians reflect on the many different meanings of war. I must confess that I haven't taken this day seriously during the 17 years of living in Australia. I have always thought of the day as a public holiday. But today I was deeply moved as I watched the news that showed the ANZAC Cove in Gallepoli in Turkey. War is terrible, we all know that, but this should not stop us from remembering those who made the sacrifice. Today as I thought of the sacrifice of the Aussie soldiers, I was also reminded once again of the ONE who made the ultimate sacrifice who died for the sins of the world - my Lord Jesus Christ. I am eternally thankful for what He has done!



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Transformed Lives

“God is More Than Adequate!”

As I speak with young people from various parts of Melbourne, I find lots of heartache, loneliness, insecurity, broken relationships, and feelings of inadequacy -- symptoms all too common in today's troubled society. What can I possibly say to them who also experiences these symptoms in my life. Just this: God is more than adequate for whatever He asks us to do! I find that today's young men and women -- as in every generation -- relate enthusiastically to someone who has 'been there!' and 'done that!' All the more when they understand that we, too, have limitations.

My life had been transformed by the Lord. When I was at my dark ages, chaos was everywhere and my heart was shattered. It was only then that I realized, when I asked God to use me as His instrument, all things that occurred, no matter how bad they turned out to be, were all permissible under His will. In the Old Testiment in the Bible, Jeremiah 10:13 declares : “I know, Oh LORD, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps”--- I am thankful that my Lord Jesus Christ is directing my steps as I remain in HIM.

Vine & Branch

These few days had been times of feeling and realizing God's Presence. As the branch doesn't continually ask the Vine to supply it with sap, I don't keep asking God to show me in what direction to go / grow anymore! Does that make sense?

World Team Focus MissioNight

For those of you who are in Melbourne / Victoria / Australia, you are invited to World Team Australia's Short Term Mission Awareness night

6:45 for 7:00 pm start - Thursday May 5

Sharing and beautiful photos from:

Angela Billing & Allison McGowan: mission awareness trip to Chile & Peru

Nicole Hepworth: mission awareness trip to Papua Indonesia (Irian Jaya)

Address: 36 Barton St, Hawthorn Victoria

(at the venue of Hawthorn West Baptist Church)

You are very welcome to bring others along. Short term trip opportunities will be shared as well!

For further info, please leave a comment here or email me on kitping@optusnet.com.au

Rrefreshment (yummy maxim cakes, coffee and tea) will be provided, so let us know if you're coming so we can prepare :)

We look forward to welcoming you along with others with a similar passion to yourself. Hope you can make it along!

Bouldering or Belaying?

I learned these two new words today. They are indoor rock-climbing terms.

"Bouldering" is climbing rocks freestyle - without a rope to stop you if you fall.
"Belaying" means that you are climbing with the help of a rope, and a companion is holding the rope for your safety.

One is solo; the other is done with assistance.

It seems to me that this is a good way to examine our lives. Are we using the bouldering or the belaying method? Are we trying to make it by ourselves, or are we seeking the help of others?

These two terms really got me thinking!

Rushing Rushing Rushing.....

It's LATE and I'm still on the go!
Had been chatting with a few friends online for hours.
I can't seem to be able to stop tonight.
I had a great time at work with my workmates having giggles here and there.

My mum hurt her back last Wednesday. She couldn't move. I was worried to death!
Took her to the doctor and spent time with her for the past few days.
This slowing down process was really benefical for me - even a blessing!
In our world we hurry all the time don't we?

Often we have so much to do and not enough time to do it.
The results are our goals, and we seldom take time to enjoy the process.
Makes me wonder how much we miss everyday.
Perhaps we should slow down and enjoy the journey rather than just heading to the destination.

What do you reckon?

A Perfect Gymnast

I want to be a perfect gymnast! To be a perfect gymnast one must learn balance. It is balance and poise, perfect balance and poise in fact!

I wonder how I can become a perfect gymnast?

William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

During Ignition last weekend, one of the workshop facilitators (who used to be my lecturer when I was at Tabor) gave me two tickets to see the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" which was a production that he was involved with. So I went along with a friend who is a Shakespeare's fan last night. This was the first time I'd ever seen Shakespeare's play live, and it was certainly an interesting experience. The "play-within-a-play", the fairies' magic, the characters Bottom, Puck, Oberon, Duke of Athens, Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius, Helena and especially the classical poetic way of performance were all quite refreshing (yet I must admit at times confusing).

Before the play, my friend suggested for me to focus on the theme of how emotions (including the beautiful poetic language) color perception. Shakespeare is writing about how fantasy and imagination influence how we see the world, and how we see and behave toward each other. In "A Midsummer Night's Dream", imagination makes impossible things into reality.

Apparently the key passage in the play is "the lunatic, the lover, and the poet" (or as the promotional material put it "love, power, bottoms". It's been said that "Shakespeare's works are larger than anyone individual's ideas or knowledge. You'll need to bring your own experience -- especially of being in love -- to help you decide what it all means for you." Well I kind of experienced that last night. I am sure though that what the play means for me is very different from what it means for anyone else.

So what are your experiences of reading / watching Shakespeare's work?

2005 Melbourne International Comedy Festival

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is Australia's premier live comedy event and one of the three largest comedy festivals in the world. WOW!!

Last night I went to see the competition screening of the comedy channel short film festival at Federation Square - the centre of Melbourne. Celebrating the art on film, the festival spotlights the work of the best funny filmakers from all over Australia and overseas. The whole BMW Edge at Federation Square was packed with audience. I was glad that I went in early, cos many people didn't even have a seat. Some people actually brought their beanbags along to the event. How impressive!

I was amazed and amused by all the film makers (comedians) who contributed to this competition. I was almost laughing non-stop the whole time! It was also such a cultural and artistic event which showcasted the best comic talent. I really enjoyed it. Apparently there are more than 1000 comedians in more than 100 shows performing stand-up, theatre, cabaret and music plus visual arts and street entertainment in this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

For those of you who are overseas, I highly recommend that you come to visit Melbourne - one of the most livable, artistic, culturally diversed and beautiful cities in the world. If you are already living here, enjoy this lovely city and all that it offers culturally and artistically! Perhaps we can even go to Federations Square together one day! Let me know if you want to do that :)

Creative & Deep Thoughts From Kids

I discovered a site with some very creative thoughs from kids, which put a smile on my face :)

"I believe you should live each day as if it is your last, which is why I don't have any clean laundry because, come on, who wants to wash clothes on the last day of their life?" -- Age 15

more here

which one do you like most?

About gO! mission eXplo 2005

If you are from Melbourne / Victoria / Australia and are interested in what God's doing around the world through mission, YOU ARE INVITED!!! gO! mission eXplo 2005 is a weekend of fellowship with mission-hearted friends, dynamic speakers, practical workshops and inspirational stories.

when: 13-15 May (second weekend in May)
where: Philip Island Adventure Resort
what is its purpose: connecting young people with God's global purpose.
theme: gO2Xtremes

participate... morph... pray... experience... worship... connect... play... chat...

Thinking about mission?
World Browsing will be back in 2005! Stalls from many different mission organisations (including World Team of course) and Bible colleges giving you the chance to reflect on the many different ways you can gO!

Cost: the whole weekend $145, $115 for group of more than 10 people
Friday night $20
Saturday $35
Sunday $35

REGISTER ONLINE NOW!! http://www.hesaidgo.info/
please let me know if you’re planning to go to gO! (hehe), and I can send you a brochure or three :)
Hey come and join me, it's gonna be awesome!!!

The Pleasure Of Meeting Fellow Bloggers

Wow these past few days saw me meeting with a number of fellow bloggers in person. During Ignition last weekend, I got to meet with christop, the rev, and nick. And today I had the privilege of meeting umm yasmin. It's just great to be able to connect with new friends and get to know them online as well as in person, especially when you know that these are authentic and real people! Praise God for the blogosphere!

Ignition Photos

Please go to the following link to some of the photos that I took @ Ignition, enjoy.....

http://public.fotki.com/kitping/

Reflection on Ignition

Ignition was such an enjoyable, refreshing yet challenging experience for me personally! I was involved with the committee team helping out with the volunteer coordination. Seeing how awesome the actual four day gathering was, I feel that all the hardwork was worth it!

There were a number of artists and art expressions being shared and used as forms of worship during Ignition: dance, drama, music, story telling, poetry, visual arts, multi-media, stand-up comedy & anime etc. The professional standard productions on Friday and Saturday nights were really interesting and thought-provoking too!

During the 'Interactive Worship Experience' in the mornings, I really encountered God and experienced an awesome rhythm of worshiping together with other Christian artists corporately. The main idea through the book of Jeremiah 'I have chosen you, and before I formed you I knew you. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations' was very powerful. We were told to be alert to the other pictures God gave us in our lives.

And then there were times of fantastic worship through singing, dancing, flag & banner waving, painting, even a 'foot painting' experience, moving of 'rocks' to the foot of the 'cross' as a symbol of letting go and communion lunch. It was a great time of linking up with like-minded and like-hearted people in a safe place, networking, healing and sharing. My relationship with God was deepened and I believe a great sence of unity to engage the Australian community in a contemporary and relevant manner was achieved.

I've also learned about the importance of "Space". Each day throughout this gathering, I've had space with God, space with other artists, space to reflect on essential issues, space to move and to be still, space to heal, and space to get some learning - which I am very thankful for.

I attended the biblical story-telling and poetry worshops, and found that being a story-teller and a poet both require one important quality - 'being able to SEE and let the audience / reader SEE as well.' I learned that artists are servants of the audience, and story-teller should not be the focus, but the STORY itself. I was very touched by the concept! I also discovered that 'capturing' a moment is significant in poetry as in other art forms. Speaking of capturing moments, I've taken heaps of photos during the event, and felt like the photo taking was a way of me worshiping the Almighty God, the most incredible spring of living water.

Like nick said so beautifully, "I'm still buzzing from this weekend - the manifest presense of God the entire weekend was amazing. I spent most of the worship session yesterday in tears - but that's a good thing! eep. *buzz* " Good on ya Nick :)

Ignition

Ignition is in the here and now.... in fact, 3/4 of the gathering has passed and I have opportunities to connect with other artists, worship together interactively and whole-heartedly, encourage and be encouraged, be inspired to engage more with the artists in my neighbourhood, to slow down and take some time and space out to see, observe, learn, listen, share, communicate, feel, think and visualise. More later....

Goodnight Prayer

I really like the following goodnight prayer from an unknown author....

"Dear God... I called tonight to talk a little while, I need a friend who'll listen to my anxiety and trial...
You see, I can't quite make it through a day just on my own.
I need your love to guide me, so I'll never feel alone.
I want to ask you please to keep me and my family safe and sound.
Come and fill our lives with confidence for whatever fate we are bound.
Give me faith, dear God, to face each hour throughout the day,
and not to worry over things I can't change in any way.

I thank you God, for being home and listening to my call.
For giving me such good advice When I stumble and fall.
Your number, God, is the only one that answers every time.
I never get a busy signal,never had to pay a dime.
So thank you, God, for listening to my troubles and my sorrow.
Good night God, I love You too,and I'll call again tomorrow!"

Decisions, decisions, decisions

Life is full of decisions, many of them can be overwhelming! How can we have the confidence to make the right decisions?

I'd like to know what you think about that!

In memory of the Pope

Story after story of the Pope John Paul II has been on the news for the last few days since his death. I must admit that I didn't know much about him when he was alive, all I knew was that he had gone through confronting situations in his life and ministry, and that he was a man of integrity in the eyes of many people in the world.

There’s even talk of rescheduling the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles to avoid a conflict with the pope’s funeral. Both are scheduled on the same day (Friday 8 April). A spokesman says the prince is “sensitive to events that are happening elsewhere around the world” and is “continuing to assess the situation."

There will also be up to two million pilgrims expected to converge on Rome for the service. “It will a moment without precedent,” Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni said. “Rome will grind to a halt to guarantee the full development of the demonstration of love for the pontificate, guaranteeing the maximum security for all the heads of state who will arrive to pay homage to the pope,” he said.

When I reflect on all these, I can't help but think about the importance of the impact of one's life to the people around them. What is the legacy that one leaves when one connects with others. As I heard about the Pope's life story, the person that he was, the legacy that he left behind - I was moved by his love and his response to people, his gracious acts and humility, and his Christ-like character. I think that it wasn't really who he was as the Pope, but his character and his life that made the differences and won the respect of many.

Prayer and Mission (2)

Amen amen and amen to John Dekker, wilsonian and mike hall who wrote comments on my last post here

"Does prayer really make a difference in mission? Is a mission trip that centers on prayer and education of the work really worth the time, money and effort? Is prayer truly a major part of church planting? "
The answer to all of those questions is an emphatic YES!

Well that's why I will be attending the World Team Paris Prayer Conference in June, where the whole mission trip focuses on prayers. I believe that we can really be a part of God’s plan to redeem the people of France (and in fact all over the world) if all we do is pray for them.

According to Steve Miller, former World Team missionary in France, "the majority of French people would not care to talk to you about God. They are not really interested.To them, when you die, you die-that's it. Even the Catholic influence is diminishing.'What has the church done?' they ask. 'It took our money, built big places and gave us nothing in return.'That's why the French tend to have an antagonistic and humanistic outlook on life. It's very tough for the gospel to move in."

I invite you to pray with me for the people in France and Europe, so that they can get to know God and have an intimate relationship with HIM.

Prayer and Mission

Does prayer really make a difference in mission? Is a mission trip that centers on prayer and education of the work really worth the time, money and effort? Is prayer truly a major part of church planting? Can you really be a part of God’s plan to redeem the unreached people of the world if all you do is pray for them?

I'd be interested in knowing what your answers to these questions are.

IGNITION is coming to town.....

Hi guys, for those of you creatives in Australia, please don't miss out on IGNITION!

The IGNITION Creative Artists’ Gathering will be on next Thursday to Sunday (7-10 April). I am really excited about it, and want as many people as possible to link in with the community and the artists there. Can you please forward this on to anyone who you think would be interested?

You don't have to go to the whole event. You can choose only to go to the shows on Thursday, Friday or Saturday night, or just go to the workshops during the day on Friday and / or Saturday, or just the Sunday interactive worship, or two of the shows, or all three shows, or the whole gathering (like I do hehe).

Where: @ THE IMAGE FACTORY Stonnington Recreation Centre61-71 McIlwrick St, Windsor, Victoria (Melway: 58F7)

What: IGNITION is a gathering of creative people from around Australia.Each day will include Space: space with God, space with each other, space to reflect, space to move, space to heal, space to get some learning.Fri and Sat night you’ll experience a professional standard production open for delegates and the general public. Thurs night will be dinner and a variety night offering tastes of what is being offered around Aust currently

What’s the Vision?To support creative people to serve in their communities and in the arts industries around Australia to a standard of excellence from a heart of worship.

Why?We hope to gather together and inspire, encourage, heal and move forward into our communities with a stronger sense of community, purpose, and passion.It is a call to creative people to deepen their relationship with God and link together in unity to engage in a contemporary and culturally relevant manner.

Check out the websites for more info and a registration form. www.candlelightproductions.org.au or www.christianartists.com.au or call Bec on (03) 9331 3006 for more information.

Our aim is to provide a safe place for creative people to be encouraged, heal and move forward into our communities with a stronger sense of community, purpose, and passion. We hope to inspire and equip you to serve your communities and the secular world at a standard of excellence, from a heart of worship. Over 4 days (7 – 10 April) you’ll have the chance to participate in interactive worship, networking and practical workshops led by 20 teachers and practitioners from some of Australia’s leading and emergent colleges and arts groups. We’ll start on Thursday night with a dinner and end on Sunday with a communal lunch. Worship will be led by Sue Rinaldi (from the UK) and a team of facilitators and musicians from Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Queensland.

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?