If you have a moment..

Could you spare it to say a brief prayer for this chap, who is still lost after 5 days.

I just heard the news, he's a friend from way back. A pretty resourceful guy, I wouldn't put it past him to turn up with a goofy grin and apologize for the fuss.

Hope everyone else is keeping well and safe.

Normal state vs Fundamental state

"When we accept the world as it is (by living in the normal state), we deny our ability to see something better, & hence our ability to be something better. we become what we behold. what is not normal, is embracing the fact that another state exists."

-Prof Quinn (Building the Bridge as You Walk On It)

Something to think about...

Hi everyone,

Don't think all of you know who I am... anyway, I have this video to share... it's something for all of us to think about...



Yeap, made me jump right out of my seat!

God Bless
Edward signing off.........

Some verses that have got me thinking

'so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern with each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices in it.' 1 Cor 12:25-26


'In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.' 2 Tim 3:12


'Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treatet. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while,

'He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.'

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. Heb 10:32-39

identity

Ever imagined why, we never felt secure in our own skin, fearing our own shadow, as it grows on us, as we move away from the bright light?

As we try to carve more and more of ourself, and form our own name, we tend to fail, fall back to insecurity.

Ever thought why? Why we get so defensive over certain things, or hold on to certain things to tightly? Or sometimes how we are so influenced by peers?

We can't name ourselves, or more specifically, we can't give ourselves a name. (I'm not talking about names like John, Joanne etc, I'm talking about identity, title). Only God knows our capabilities, our limits, our strengths, and more importantly, He accepts us for who we are.

Reading 'The Namer' by Matt Rawlins was really good. Suddenly I understood so many other things. Like a bulb lit over my head, I saw a revelation in who I am, and what I need not strive to be. All the talk about, I am secure in Christ, and I am made whole in Him, finally made sense.

You see, when we try to name ourselves, we try to place ourselves in a position that we think we should be, we often fail. The book gave an example of Saul, who was insecure about his position, coming from the smallest family in the smallest tribe of his country, he was picked as king. He couldn't see or understand why, and hence, using human reason, he strived to be king. He did what ever that was humanly possible to maintain his status. A lot of times, he did what others told him to do (for fear that they may see less of him, sounding familiar?) or protect his title as king. So as David (who was confident of who he was in God) came along, Saul was jealous. He was afraid that this man would be a title snatcher. King Saul tried to kill David a couple of times, but was unable to.

This is just one example of how, when one tries to carve their own name, and because of not knowing what exactly is his/her name, it fails.

Psalm 139:

1-6 God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.
I'm an open book to you;
even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
I'm never out of your sight.
You know everything I'm going to say
before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you're there,
then up ahead and you're there, too—
your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
I can't take it all in!

That's how well God knows me, and how well He knows my name. I am thus secured in Him.

Live the Life

Live the life

Counter-culture

Breakout, breakthrough

Stretching boundaries

I n c r e a s i n g INFLUENCE

Stepping O.u.t.

Daring to be dIFFERENT

Radical

BURN

Passion


Catchphrases, every one. Stuff you used to hear at rallies, propaganda parties, revolutionarist gatherings, and Christian meetings. Stuff that's nice to hear because its anti-apathy, anti-statusquo, anti-keepingthingsthewaytheyalwayswere.

But also, stuff that forces ruffling of feathers, uncomfortable-ness, possible falling-outs, and most of all, Change.

We hear them over and over again, and every time we hear them, another voice speaks out.

"Really think you'll make a difference?"

"Want to stick out like a sore thumb?"

"Think of yourself for a change"

or simply

"Why bother?"

**

"Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules:" Col 2:20

"For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." Col 3:3

Worship is not a slow song!

"Allow me to ask you the reader a question: Where do you find the first occurrence of the word worship in the Bible? ......

The first time you find the word worship in Scriptures is in Genesis 22. It reads:

Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship." Gen 22:5 (author's emphasis)

Abraham was not going up yonder to sing a slow song with Isaac. He was going up there to put the most treasured possession in his life to death, simply because God asked him to do it! So as you can see, worship is a life of obedience. This explains why God passionately says to His own people who were singing songs to Him:

Away with your hymns of praise! They are only noise to my ears. I will not listen to your music, no matter how lovely it is. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, a river of righteous living that will never run dry. (Amos 5:23-24 NLT) "

- John Bevere, Drawing Near

Help from all!

hey fellow imuans/ex-imuans

am trying to put together a small book/notebook/handout about testimonies from imu students.. as in what is their God-defining moment when they are in imu, whether through ecf, or pivoting moments of your spiritual growth in imu.

hopefully the content will be more than just "God is good" "i feel God" "i feel goosebumps" "God help me thru exams" "God gave me an A" "God help me find my thumbdrive" so on so forth.. hpe it will be testimonies of life changes events! try to explain in such a way how your testimony can point others to God/show others who God is/allow others to experience God like you do... basically POWERFUL TESTIMONIES!

it is something we wanna book it so that whenever new juniors come imu/who visit our church/during freshie party we can give a copy to them and say to them "this is how God move & touch lives in imu"...

please type it out in word and send it to me @ jonism85@gmail.com preferably not more than an A4 size..

thanks a bunch!

Drawing Near

I've started reading a book by John Bevere called Drawing Near.

The first chapter is titled The Greatest Invitation Of All Time.

Some interesting points:

What do Exodus 3:3, Mark 6:48 and 1 Sam 3 have in common?

"So Moses thought, 'I will go over and see this strange sight-why the bush does not burn up.' "

"He saw the disciples straining at their oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them,"

1 Sam 3 about God calling Samuel 3 times before Samuel responded.


God calls, yes. In each of these verses, Moses, the disciples, Samuel, turned aside to answer the call of God.

Ex 3:4 " When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from within the bush..."

Mk 6:49 "but when they saw him walking on the lake, they....cried out"

The author hypothesized that the encounters above would not have happened had Moses not turned aside, or if the disciples did not call out to Jesus, or if Samuel had decided sleep was more important.

It costs something to turn aside to follow God's call. Putting aside the cares of the day, whether its gathering lost sheep, or fighting the storm, or just going back to sleep, and turning aside to encounter God, is something which God values.

"Draw near to me and I will draw near to you" James 4:8