What is a Christian?

The other day, I went for a friend's church event and there, we were all asked a simple question: "What does the word "Christian" mean to you? They showed us a video of the responses of many people around the world. Most people answered with words like "Jesus", "church", "relationship with God", "nice and kind people", "one of the main religions" and so on. One funny answer was from a guy who spoke in Cantonese,

"They're boring, soft people. If I were a bully, they would be the first people I would bully!"

But I think the answer to that isn't very difficult. Technically, a Malaysian is a person from Malaysia and lives there and abides by its laws and rules. A German is a person from Germany, he/she lives there and abides by Germany's laws and regulations. 

The same way a dietitian is someone who practices dietetics and is an expert on diet, and a musician is a person who plays music and loves music and is very good at music. Adding the -ian behind a noun basically connects a person to that noun whether by relationship, passion, knowledge and/or love.

So the conclusion would be that a Christian is the addition of -ian to Christ. Christ-ian. 

I'm pretty smart kan? ;)

Implying that a Christian is a person who is of Christ, who knows and is passionate about and loves Christ, whom practices Christ's teachings and abides by His laws. Yay! 10/10 marks. 

Hmmm. The effect of too much academics and examinations. Here's a much simpler and easier to understand explanation that another friend forwarded me. A short and simple story.

There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. 

Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak...

'I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. 

On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, 'What you got there, son?' 

'Just some old birds,' came the reply.

'What are you gonna do with them?' I asked.

'Take 'em home and have fun with 'em,' he answered 

'I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. 

I'm gonna have a real good time' 

'But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?'

'Oh, I got some cats,' said the little boy. 

'They like birds. I'll take 'em to them.'

The pastor was silent for a moment. 'How much do you want for those birds, son?'

'Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. 

They're just plain old field birds. 

They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!'

'How much?' the pastor asked again.

The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, '$10?'

The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.

Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story.

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. 

 

'Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. 

Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!'

'What are you going to do with them?' Jesus asked.

Satan replied, 'Oh, I'm gonna have fun! 

I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, 

how to hate and abuse each other, 

how to drink and smoke and curse. 

I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs 

and kill each other. 

I'm really gonna have fun!'

'And what will you do when you get done with them?' Jesus asked. 

'Oh, I'll kill 'em,' Satan glared proudly. 

'How much do you want for them?' Jesus asked

'Oh, you don't want those people. 

They ain't no good. 

Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. 

They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. 

You don't want those people!!'

'How much?' He asked again.

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, 

'All your blood, tears and your life.'

Jesus said, 'DONE!'
Then He paid the price. By dying, crucified on a cross.

The pastor picked up the cage he opened the door and he walked from the pulpit.

 

All because He loved us all so much. =)

A love that conquered death.

Above all powers, above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began

Above all kingdoms, above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure what You're worth

Crucified, laid behind the stone
You lived to die, rejected and alone
Like a Rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me above all.

Thank you! For enduring all the pain, and choosing to suffer death on the cross, just for me. 

I love you, though at times I'm not strong enough to show it. I'm sorry.

Thank you for always taking me back into your arms, no matter how much I've hurt you.

And not only do you forgive, you continue to bless me with all the cekap people and things in my life. 

You're awesome.... 

Thank you God! =D

So far..

Life since I came back from Sabah has been so full.
Full of
drama,
emotions,
travelling,
friends,
laughter,
activities,
love,
and plans.

Had a taste of God's presence. It overwhelms me with wonder and amazement, the fact that knows what He's doing, all the time. However it may seem like you feel you're abandoned or forgotten, know that you're not. Coz He's always there. Loving you. (Now, if only I could hug God....)

1. Thought that I was gonna be bored out of my wits back here but yeah, right! Hahaha.... He definitely saw to that. ;)
2. Thought my industrial training was gonna be a sad case but now, I can see that I'm so blessed to have such interesting colleagues, nice supervisors and such an amazing experience learning so much and getting a chance to have hands-on experience.
3. Thought that I was being put through so much unnecessary heartache and stress but can now grasp the reality that it has strengthened not only myself, but also my relationships with the people I care about. Never knew I had that strength. Now I do. Gotta keep challenging that boundary though. So I understand if/when more trials come. 
4. Though I'm not the most cekap, efficient, thoughtful, caring or sensitive of persons, but I am so so loved. And surrounded by the awesomest people in the world who understand me and accept me for who I am.  And I am so grateful for that. 

Can't exactly complain about anything now, can i? =)

Never a dull moment in the Land below the wind..

Lots of weird stuff has been documented this week. Well, okay. Maybe not LOTS. More like um, three.

Incident 1

Decided to do the laundry yesterday, but right after popping the clothes into the washing machine, the clouds made their dramatic appearance out of nowhere and the skies turned a gloomy gray. Sigh. Too late, since the machine was already well into it's 2nd cycle. =(

So I said a prayer. Or two. Or three. (Guess I was pretty desperate for my clothes to dry lah) And it was really amazing how God geld back the rain for that few hours, and even punctured little holes in the thick cloud formation for the sun to shine through. =D

God is super awesome!

Wanted to take pictures of the sky but my camera's not quite cekap enough to capture its beauty. Didn't quite do the sky justice... Guess some things, you just need to see for yourself. ;)

Incident 2

First ever dog with eyebrows and eyeshadow spotted. 

 

 Saw this on my way back from church. Did a double take when I saw those eyebrows. Then it took me 10 whole seconds to realise I've never in my life seen a dog with eyebrows. This one even had eyeshadow on! (Look closely ya...)

Incident 3

Next up, I spotted a giraffe taking a piggy-back ride on a dog. 

 

Hahahahaha!!

=P

Ms Wireless and Mr Internet

I used to think that the INTERNET was no big deal. I mean, I lived without it for 2 decades right? So when my lil lappie's MS Wireless' hardware broke down, I was sad for sure. But I didn't realise just how big an  impact the absence of dear ol' Mr Internet would cause... Here's a tale of dear Ms Wireless and Mr Internet.

Ms Wireless and Mr Internet

You see, there wouldn't be a story if in the beginning, a certain Mr Internet wasn't so elusive. Only through a few particular means can we humans meet this very knowledgeable, wise but sometimes unpredictable character. He's a source of knowledge for so many. The only problem is, he can only be found in the presence of dear Ms Wireless.

About a month ago, right before mid-terms. We had just finished rushing a particularly headache-fying assignment on the canning of chicken curry. That was when Ms Wireless decided to 'mogok' and run away. (That's her "I Don't Wanna Be Your Friend Anymore" pose on the right.) I was really down, but only momentarily. It was after all exam season. I took it as a SIGN from God to quit Pet Society-ing and start book-ing. So I did. Sort of. Hahaha. Or at least more than I would have if Ms Wireless was still on good terms with me. =) I still constantly checked to see if Ms Wireless decided to come back but I was always greeted with the same hollow emptiness when I knocked on her door.

Then the rush of exams ended and I turned my lil baby lappie on. Lo and behold! Ms Wireless returned! It all seemed so surreal... It was truly as if God decided I could have some R&R after all the stress. YAY! I was so happy, I forgot to ask her why she left in the first place.

But nothing lasts forever. After 2 days of exhilaration with Ms Wireless and her good friend Mr Internet, she left again. Like before, there was no indication as to why she left. I never even got a chance to say goodbye. No more Ms Wireless and Mr Internet.

So there I was, living life without the two very important non-living personas in a student's life. =(  Though I had glimpses of them once in awhile through the lappie of Eeleen. (THANK YOU EELEEN!!!) but it was just never the same. It's like, having a puppy in your own home versus playing with your neighbour's one.

So I finally brought my lappie to a doctor and after 3 excrutiating lappie-less days, the doctor said it was too late. There was nothing she could do. It turns out all this while, Ms Wireless was gravely ill and now she's gone to tech heaven. 

Rest in peace Ms Wireless. 

So today, I searched far and wide before I finally found a Ms Wireless Receiver who also had Mr Internet's number! Hooray!

THE END

Special thanks to:

God in Heaven

Eeleen

Ms Technician @ Lappie doctor

Mr creator of the internet

Mr creator of the wireless receiver

Pretty Things All in a Row

~ Pretty things... =) ~

I was wondering... Why people place so much importance for things to look good.
You know?
"This book is dog eared. Take that one."
"That shirt is SO crumpled! Go change!"
Bla bla bla. Yada yada yada.

So yeah. Why is it so important?
Well, I could only come to one conclusion:
Nice, pretty things make us happy when we look at them.
=D

In conclusion, I'm all in support for all things good-looking!

Which then brings us to the Creator of all beautiful things...
Praise God!

Ulcer GONE!!!

You are my Strength, You're all I need...

I need only think, “My foot is slipping,”

and Your love, O Lord, holds me up at once.

In the midst of worry and trouble

You console me and cheer me.

The Lord is my stronghold,

my God,

my rock of refuge.

Psalms 94:18-19, 22

The Lord is my strength, my shield;

in Him my heart trusts.

I have been helped and my heart exults,

with my song I give Him thanks.

Psalm 28:7

The U in JesUs

Before U were thought of or time had begun,
God even stuck U in the name of His Son.

And each time U pray, you'll see it's true
You can't spell out JesUs and not include U.

You're a pretty big part of His wonderful name,
For U, He was born; that's why He came.

And His great love for U is the reason He died.
It even takes U to spell crUcified.

Isn't it thrilling and splendidly grand
He rose from the dead, with U in His plan?

The stones split away, the gold trUmpet blew,
and this word resUrrection is spelled with a U.

When JesUs left earth at His upward ascension,
He felt there was one thing He just had to mention.

"Go into the world and tell them it's true
That I love them all - Just like I love U."

So many great people are spelled with a U,
Don't they have a right to know JesUs too?

It all depends now on what U will do,
He'd like them to know,
But it all starts with U.

Will yoU pass it on.