Mark 4: 35-41

It has been awhile since I last felt like blogging, and honestly, my next post would've been in August had it not been for the events that transpired last Sunday. What happened on that fateful day was nothing short of a miracle.

For some foreknowledge, the Gospel last Sunday was taken from Mark. Jesus and gang were on a boat and they were hit by a storm. Jesus commanded the wind, "Be quiet!" and the waves, "Be still!". The wind died down and there was a great calm. This left the apostles wondering, "Who is this man? Even the wind and the waves obey him!".

Anyway, back to my story. I was driving along in Durian Tunggal (it's somewhere in the outskirts of Melaka, full of winding roads, plantations, hills, typical kampung scene). To be honest, I wasn't exactly going 'slow'. There in front of me was a tight cornering and being the reckless fool that I was, I tried to negotiate the corner at some 'marvelous' speed. Little did I know that the tiny stones by the side of the road was all it took to send the car spinning out of control.

There are no words to describe what I've been through. It all happened so fast, I only remember turning the steering wheel right then left as the car spun furiously around until it finally crashed into the side of a hill, and by furiously i mean 360 degrees.

A billion things could have been different that day. Had there been an oncoming car, had my car crashed on the onter side of the road (the road had a hill on one side, and a deep ravine on the other), had I drove a higher car (I was driving a Wira, one of the lowest cars out there), had it been raining, there wouldn't be any more updates on this blog - ever.

However, despite the gravity of the incident, we all escaped unhurt and the only damage done was a broken headlamp and a slightly shifted bumper. The amazing thing was, earlier this year, back when I was still in Singapore, a close friend of mine actually dreamt of this. Of course, back then I felt it ridiculous and quickly forgot about it. Only minutes ago did it crop back into my head. Overwhelmed, I am compelled, neigh, I owe it to Him to tell this story; this story of how God saves a reckless fool so that you, too, may believe.

Who is this man? Even the winds and the waves obey Him!

What Is Your Purpose in Life?

Ever wondered why are you here? As in why are we on this planet called Earth? What is our purpose? Why do we do the things we do? Are we so caught up in our daily hussle we forget the BIG picture?

I myself do not have the answers to these questions, but it helps to think where are we headed and what are the important things in life. 

For God So Loved The World

Ever wondered what it means to be Christian, a follower of Christ, a people of God? I'm no preacher of any sort, neither am I any holier than you. I write this to share how, I believe, we as Christians should be.

A lot of us tend to drift away from God in the midsts of their studies, stress at work, deadlines to meet, or even when we get too carried away in church activities that we forget the real reason we're doing it in the first place.

My answer is that we need to place God first in all we do. In studying, I put all my trust in Him. I'm studying not for myself, but to glorify Him. "HOW?", you might ask. I don't know. If He gives me a gift, it is my duty to nurture it, to multiply the talents, and perhaps someday, help others with what we have. I believe that all that has already been planned out by the master planner Himself.

For working people; well, you just have to search deep down why are you doing what you do. Is if for money? Fame? Power? I know most of us will have to work for money sometime in our lives. However, we can also use whatever we have, including money, to help others, especially in this season of Lent. We are, afterall, one people of God.

Another thing you might want to think about is this: We tell ourselves that we are doing things for God, but what are we really after? I used to believe that we must do good to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. True, but should we do good only for this "reward"? Is Christ's death on the cross not enough? Is the love of God, so great, that he sent his ONLY son to save us not enough? I had a sudden chill when I realized this.

So back to the original question: What it means to be a Christian. To me, it's doing everything out of love for Him. To love the ones he loves - us. To dislike the things he dislikes - sin. To never again want to hurt him by giving in to temptation. I'm still struggling with this, and I know a lot of us are. It's not easy to carry the cross. Embrace it...

Yet Another Death

Firstly, I have to create an excuse for not blogging since Christmas. Well, what can I say? Laziness kinda kicked in for a bit, not only for blogging, but also with studies. Until fairly recently, my mind has been to every corner of the universe - all but where it should be. The first half of my semester flew by without me completing a single tutorial, assignment nor blog. I'm not proud of my unproductiveness. On the contrary, I now know how empty our petty lives can be without passion, without drive, without aim. 

Coming back from my mid-sem break, I resolved never again to slip to such lows. Thankfully, it's now the season of Lent (a season of repentance and fasting for Catholics), which adds to my drive to change - not for myself, but for Him. He gave us gifts not for us to waste by doing nothing, but to nurture them, improve on them, and use them to help others. Who are we to misuse those sacred gifts?

Repentance - only when a seed dies shall it emerge a tree, full of life. Only by dying to my laziness and contempt can I emerge a better person, using God's gift to its full potential. WE can do all things through God who strengthens us, and it is for Him that we do these things in the first place.

So, let this season be meaningful for you as well, as WE overcome temptations such as games, laptop, facebook, and whatever it is that is taking up so much of your precious time. It is not an easy task, but together, we CAN do it, for the GLORY of God.

On a completely unrelated note, there has been two different deaths in NTU in the past week - the 1st week after our mid-sem break. Both suicidal, both from the School of EEE. My condolences to those affected. 

A note of advice to students and working adults - DON'T TRY THIS ANYWHERE. If you are under a lot of pressure, remember you are not alone. Feel free to talk to friends or leave a message here :)

To parents and future parents, do not expect so much out of your children. If they are not cut out for it, they won't make it no matter how hard you push. Let them do what they like instead. Nobody is perfect.

Christmas Reflections

It's that time of the year again, the time when anybody and everybody focuses on everything that's not important and forget the one thing that is. Don't believe me? Be it at home or on this small lil island, the most crowded of places do not, not the slightest bit, resemble the lowly manger that's supposed to be our focus this season.

I'm not saying all of us should start visiting farms or something. It's the spiritual journey that matters. Christmas has never been about adourning ourselves with lavish clothes or accessories. Neither is it about getting the latest gadgets for ouselves before anybody else does. Whatever is the significance of turkey and log cakes? Who came up with Frosty or Rudolph or the man with the sack (Coca-cola probably came up with santa claus as a marketing hype)? What's up with pine trees? Did Jesus come wrapped up ever so lavishly under a plastic tree? I hate to say this, but I think it's an insult to the true meaning of CHRISTmas.

Maybe this clip will help you understand. It showed me a glimpse of heaven's LOVE.

Of all my years celebrating Christmas, I've only experienced it once or twice at most. The other years were spent trying to flatter myself. Maybe it's time we start looking at someone other than ourselves. For your Christmas present this year, I pray that Jesus (and not Santa) sends you an angel to remind you what CHRISTmas is all about.