Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Let God Be the Pilot of our Lives

Years ago, I was enthralled as I listened to a pastor who for several years who had faithfully served the church. His executive responsibilities had taken him all over this country. As he concluded his message, he told of one of the most frightening, yet thought-provoking, experiences of his life.

He had been on a long flight from one place to another. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: Fasten your seat belts. Then, after a while, a calm voice said, "We shall not be serving the beverages at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence. Please be sure your seat belt is fastened."As he looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive. Later, the voice of the announcer said, "We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us."

Then the storm broke. The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines. Lightening lit up the darkening skies, and within moments that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash.The pastor confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said, "As I looked around the plane, I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying. The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm.

Then, I suddenly saw a little girl. Apparently the storm meant nothing to her. She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat; she was reading a book and every thing within her small world was calm and orderly. Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world. When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm when it lurched this way and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity,when all the adults were scared half to death, that marvelous child was completely composed and unafraid."

The minister could hardly believe his eyes.It was not surprising therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying to disembark,our pastor lingered to speak to the girl whom he had watched for such a long time. Having commented about the storm and behavior of the plane, he asked why she had not been afraid.The child replied, "'Cause my Daddy's the pilot, and he's taking me home."

There are many kinds of storms that buffet us:• Physical,• Mental,• Financial,• Domestic, and...Many other storms can easily and quickly darken our skies and throw our plane into apparently uncontrollable movement. We have all known such times, and let us be honest and confess, it is much easier to be at rest when our feet are on the ground than when we are being tossed about a darkened sky.Let us remember... Our Father is the Pilot. He is in control and taking us home...

Saturday, March 15, 2008

This is a true story of something that happened just a few years ago (when it was first published in 1996) at USC (University of Southern California). There was a professor of philosophy there who was a deeply committed atheist. His primary goal for one required class was to spend the entire semester attempting to prove that God couldn't exist. His students were always afraid to argue with him because of his impeccable logic. For twenty years, he had taught this class and no one had ever had the courage to go against him. Sure, some had argued in class at times, but no one had ever 'really gone against him' (you'll see what I mean later).

Nobody would go against him because he had a reputation. At the end of every semester, on the last day, he would say to his class of Cartoon of the legend 300 students, "If there anyone here who still believes in Jesus, stand up!" In twenty years, no one had ever stood up. They knew what he was going to do next. He would say, "because anyone who does believe in God is a fool. If God existed, he could stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground and breaking. Such a simple task to prove that he is God, and yet he can't do it." And every year, he would drop the chalk onto the tile floor of the classroom and it would shatter into a hundred pieces. The students could do nothing but stop and stare. Most of the students were convinced that God couldn't exist. Certainly, a number of Christians had slipped through, but for 20 years, they had been too afraid to stand up.

Well, a few years ago, there was a freshman who happened to get enrolled in the class. He was a Christian, and had heard the stories about this professor. He had to take the class because it was one of the required classes for his major and he was afraid. But for 3 months that semester, he prayed every morning that he would have the courage to stand up no matter what the professor said or what the class thought. Nothing they said or did could ever shatter his faith, he hoped.

Finally the day came. The professor said, "If there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up!" The professor and the class of 300 people looked at him, shocked, as he stood up at the back of the classroom. The professor shouted, "You FOOL!! If God existed, he could keep this piece of chalk from breaking when it hit the ground!" He proceeded to drop the chalk, but as he did, it slipped out of his fingers, off his shirt cuff, onto the pleats of his pants, down his leg, and off his shoe. As it hit the ground, it simply rolled away, unbroken.

The professor's jaw dropped as he stared at the chalk. He looked up at the young man and then ran out of the lecture hall. The young man who had stood up proceeded to walk to the front of the room and share his faith in Jesus for the next half hour. 300 students stayed and listened as he told of God's love for them and of his power through Jesus.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008
You hold my hand.

A little girl and her father were crossing a bridge.

In any relationship, the essence of trust
is not in its bind, but in its bond.

So Treasure the bonds....................

Thursday, October 11, 2007
grace

i was just pondering about the meaning of my name and decided to search what grace means :)

The free and undeserved gift of God the Father through Jesus Christ. The grace of God is the greatest expression of God the Father's love and all-encompassing mercy. To be under grace means to continually be receiving God's divine love, favor, forgiveness, blessing, gracious care, help and gifts.
www.biblestudy.org/beginner/basic-bible-teachings.html

Grace is unmerited favor. It is God's free action for the benefit of all. Grace is the product of God that is given by God, because of who God is not because of who we are. It is the means of salvation (Eph. 2:8-9).
www.godweb.org/dictionary/dic_g-h.htm

a disposition to kindness and compassion; "the victor's grace in treating the vanquished"wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

http://www.google.com.sg/search?q=define%3A+grace&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a

just some of the meanings...and i guess it's not coincidental that it both means the outward kindness and compassion and also God's grace...just thought that maybe because we have received His grace, then we can show kindness and compassion to others... :)

Sunday, September 30, 2007
letting God be on the throne of your life, even at your busiest periods

"Unless the Lord builds the house, it's builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain." [Psalms 127:1-2]

Unless the Lord blesses you to study, no matter how hard you try, it will still be in vain. So in this period when you are busy mugging for your exams, do remember to keep our Lord in first priority. No matter how tough it may seem, with our Lord, all things are possible.

Take Care, and God Bless!!!

Friday, September 28, 2007

When Jesus' disciples woke Him on the boat in the middle of a storm and told Him they were all going to die, Jesus calmly got up and rebuked the wind and the raging water. They stopped completely and there was tremendous calm..... If you are in the middle of a raging storm in your life, you have to remember who is in the boat with you.

as the 3 of you go through your promotional examinations, remember He is always by your side :) jia you!!!!

Sunday, February 18, 2007
Pastor Rick Warren on God, giving back, and "the purpose-driven life"