About disciples

Lu 14:26

"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

Lu 14:27

And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Lu 14:33

So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

Mt 10:24

A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.

Lu 6:40

A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.

Journey

Friday evening. On the LRT to:
Plaza Rakyat. Buses underground . Breathing in CO2 and possible CO emissions.

Started late but moving now.
2 women chattering excitedly in the front seat.
An elderly man sits behind me, looking out the window,
In stark contrast with the youngish man in front, jabbering into his cellphone.

Buildings flash by. There's the National Museum, then the Lake Gardens.
I know this road. I've been down here before.
A few rows behind me, a father sits with his son.
Telling him to settle down, that it'll be a while before they arrive at their stop.
I smile and settle farther into my seat. Smiling because I know how the boy feels.
I'm going home.


I'm running late. Unfamiliar station signs flash past.
Though its not my first flight home by myself, I've been flying from Heathrow, not Manchester.
I grab a place in the queue. Realise that bottles filled with water are banned.
Get AAAs for my MP3 player. Get presents. Sorted.
I spot a family I saw during check-in. Going on a holiday, presumably.
Eating at a cafe. For them the journey is just beginning.
For me, I'm halfway home.

I find my seat between 2 people, both young and engrossed in their own thoughts.
The girl on my left nods off intermittently, refusing food and drink.
The guy on my right shifts in his seat, trying to get comfortable.
He asks for beer, I ask for Coke and get Pepsi instead. Both of us are content.
The Muslim gentleman in front strikes up a conversation with the British girl next to him.
Later, when we disembark, he hands her her bag.
'Have a safe journey and a merry Christmas.', he smiles before disappearing into the queue.
I'm smiling too. I'm going home.


A graduate teaching in a medical university.
A new doctor frazzled with responsibility.
A couple who've just taken their first steps together.
Another who are still getting to know each other.
A friend who is still searching for answers.
A sister who takes a step of faith.
We're all going home.

*taken from an idea for a song I had while in IMU.

the grinch

Christmas time. O month of December.

It's a very special month for many of us. It's a time whereby we get to spend with family, friends. Sometimes, it's such a great month because it's a time to get gifts. Also, it's the last year of the month, and the new year is coming. Which means, we get to start fresh, we get to move on, and leave all that's bad behind.

Why do we slog so hard throughout the year, only to hope that's it'll soon be over? For some, we are even to beaten to the point that we JUST want the year to be over. Some of us aren't even looking forward to the new year. So lost. So weathered down. Weighed by tonnes of hurt, anger, disappointment, sadness.

John 10:10 says
The thief comes ONLY to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, have it to the full. TNIV

The thief, the grinch, the enemy comes ONLY to steal, kill and destroy. Steal the important bits that's holding up your life, killing whatever dreams, hopes, faith, love that one has, and finally destroying the person that can do great things.

It's the end of the year, but not the end of the world or your life. Reflect, don't regret, but use what you see as a building block.

Christ came so we could have life to the fullest. Don't let the grinch come to steal whatever God's placed under your christmas tree this year. Finish strong!

Matthew 12:29
...how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions without first tying up the strong man?

The Same Old Thing?

How many times have we heard it before. Perpetual reminders of what Christmas is, or should mean to everyone on earth.

It's the sound of falling snow,
As we hurry out to go.
Carolling with family and friends

Christmas, the one time where church is something other than what old people go to every Sunday morning. When Jesus is mentioned not as a curse. When the Nativity is elevated from static story to cherished tradition. Where songs are sung about God by Christians and non-believers alike and prayers are uttered not in muffled tones but with clear voices.

Where shops and stores release their latest interpretation of what The Gift Of The Year should be. And when wallets and credit cards suddenly lose all sense of inhibition.

Its the laughter in the air
By the fireside we share
Sweet memories we've made throughout the years

When families gather and friends suddenly lose sight of differences. When memories of past years, and past Christmases are dredged up and laughed at. When people get the urge to organize IMU reunions even though friends are spread across 3 continents.

And as we gather close
With those we love the most
Read the story of Christmas,
Christmas time is here.

The night when Jesus was born as a baby. God encased in human flesh, exposed to frosty cold air, his nostrils assaulted with the salty tang of ammonia from fresh manure, his eyes filled with the sight of a blissful mother and a relieved father looking down on him.

Nowhere in the Bible is there a command to celebrate Christmas, no command to set aside a day for its celebration, unlike the Pentecost. But it seems, the world didn't need one.

Can you hear it, the sound of peace on earth?
Its the song of Christmas and the greatest birth.
Its the chorus that rings in human hearts,

God came down, here with us,
It's the song of Christmas.

"Newsong (The Christmas Hope) - The Song of Christmas."

Sex?!?

I'll be the first to admit; sex is intriguing, for the want of a better word.

Being the kampung boy that I am (!) sex doesn't come up in a conversation often. And the times I was present in a sex-themed conversation, well, lets just say it wasn't particularly Godly.

Which I think is a shame. But how often do we discuss what God's perspective on sex is, other than the generally accepted view that Godly sex should be between married couples, and is the ultimate act of giving oneself to another?

ChristianityToday, the source of my free bible studies, sent me a link about a conversation between 4 Christian sex therapists, which is pretty interesting to say the least.

Agree? Don't agree?

More insights to share?

I'm opening this to the floor in general:-)

the march

I think, everyone's been pretty busy. Work must be pilling up to your noses at this point.

It is during this time, we often forget what's most important, because we look at everything else, and worry about entirely all things different from what's before us.

After the Israelites defeated the Amalekites, Moses built an altar for God and called it the Lord is my Banner. (Exodus 17:15)

You know, as I thought about it, really, a banner is very significant in A LOT of things. In a march during war especially, as it boosts troop morale. Sir William Wallace had his own banner of Scotland (or however the flag was then) as they marched into battle.

Guess what?

We have the Lord our God as OUR BANNER!

Isn't that in itself a guaranteed success?

Remember guys/gals, look at what's just before you, but more importantly, remember who your banner is! Let it fly high as you march into whatever battle you are facing!

A medical student's post

Recently, I saw a patient who had a discharging abscess, very messy. The SHO who saw him after me asked for my tourniquet to use in taking bloods. Needless to say, I wasn't too keen, but gave it up anyway, knowing that that was the end of my tourniquet as a useful device.

An Accident and Emergency rotation without a tourniquet....not the best situation ever. And since I haven't discovered lunchtime meeting areas yet, I haven't been able to rely on that benefactor of medical students to provide me a new one: the drug reps.

After chucking it in the bin, I found I had to keep asking the nurses around for their tourniquets to use in taking bloods, putting in cannulas etc. Otherwise, I'd just be hanging around (the Royal Liverpool Hospital sees 200 plus patients everyday in A&E, so it gets pretty busy).

I was fortunate to have a yearmate who had an extra one and loaned it me for a few days. It was nice having my own for a while; I even lent it to a doctor who seemed to be in the same boat as me earlier.

***

I think a touniquet is just one of those things that I don't really think about until its not there. Its just one of those things.

I find that I can misplace God pretty easily and not miss Him. Until I come to a situation when I need Him, that is. And its then that I ask for help, that I repent, that I cry out to Him, etc etc. And He answers, always.

Going to meetings, camps, boosting my faith by meeting others and living by their testimonies etc is fine, for a while, but ultimately I need to pursue this relationship by myself.

With purpose, and not by convenience.

Not borrowing off others, but seeking my own (insert)

Actively seeking, not trusting to circumstance.

God didn't leave me to chance, on His part.

***

I still do really need a tourniquet. In Malaysia I'd have used gloves, but I'm still not that confident putting cannulas in for me to try that.