Keeping Faith

I have prayed to do well in the math tests I didn't study for, promising to be an excellent student in the future and live up to my full mathematical potential. Sometimes I have scraped together enough good guesses to answer my prayers. Sometimes I have really regretted not studying.

I have often driven too fast to school, praying and promising God all the way that if I get to school without a wreck or a speeding ticket, I will never be late again.

In this Sunday's gospel, Jesus' friends seem to seek special powers, for like those that I have prayed for - power to get As without studying and to speed without paying. They asked for an increase in their faith.

Jesus insists that faith does not come in medium, large, and extra large. In fact, he seems to poke fun at his disciples when he describes what faith the size of a tiny mustard seed can do. Perhaps he suspects they want to do wonders and show off. "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to the sycamore tree, 'Be uprooted and transplanted into the sea, and it will obey too."

Why would anyone want to transplant a sycamore tree into the sea? Such an act might dazzle spectators, but what is the point? The tree won't survive. What kind of faith throws big shade trees into the sea?

If faith is a gift that gives us power over things, then of course we want more of it. We might want to be like the master in the gospel, who orders his servant around instead of ordering trees into the sea.

But our faith isn't about having power over trees or people. Faith moves us, not trees, or servants, or math grades.

Questions for reflection:
1. When and how have you experienced being part of something bigger than yourself?
2. How is expressing one's inner spirit also an experience of God?
3. How is your relationship with God like the author's in Keeping Faith?

Part 2: how to reduce stress

50 Ways To Reduce Stress

1. Mental prayer (meditation) every day. I pray the rosary every day.
2. Pray with Scripture daily.
3. Frequent The Sacraments - Mass as often as possible + monthly Confession.
4. Quickly forgive others when they mess up.
5. Forgive yourself when you mess up.
6. Go on a retreat.
7. Take several days off of work / your normal schedule.
8. Socialize with friends more often. Schedule if necessary.
9. Go on dates with your spouse.
10. Pray with your family.
11. Eat dinner with your family.
12. Learn to not worry about things you can't control.
13. Don't work to please other people. Please God.
14. Remember that you are wonderful and lovable, even if imperfect.
15. Smile more.
16. Do nice things for other people, just because.
17. Spend time playing with your kids.
18. Spend less time around negative people.
19. Have difficult conversations, in a loving way. Don't avoid them.
20. Work on your character flaws and poor communication skills.
21. Ask for help more often.
22. Be content with what your possessions. 
23. Exercise regularly.
24. Sleep more.
25. Laugh. 
26. Talk to a spiritual director regularly.
27. Learn from your mistakes.
28. Be OK with not controlling others.
29. Reduce your to-do list by distinguishing 'must' and 'should'.
30. Spend time with a pet.
31. Read more good books.
32. Listen to more good music.
33. Turn off the TV and do #32 and #32.
34. Spend time doing something you like to do.
35. Volunteer to help others.
36. Eat healthier.
37. Stop an unhealthy habit (overeating, smoking, drinking too much, etc.)
38. Temper the tone in your voice and the words you use when frustrated.
39. Realize what upsets you and create a plan on how to deal with it in the future.
40. Don't get upset in traffic or with other drivers. Slow down. Chill.
41. Say "no" more often if you are over-scheduled.
42. Don't procrastinate.
43. Don't lash out at others. 
44. Spend time improving yourself. This isn't greedy, it helps everyone around.
45. Question worrisome thoughts. Are they rational / probably / helpful?
46. Focus on the present. Not the past or future.
47. Keep a journal or diary as an outlet of your stress.
48. Say more positive things. I love you, you are wonderful, thanks, etc.
49. Stop wasting time reading blog posts, Facebook, etc.
50. Pray for an increase of faith and hope. Expect God will answer your prayer.

Awesome!

My all time favourite quiet time/reconciliation song. The Lord will never abandon you just because you have sinned, instead he is more than willing to forgive you & embrace you once you are repentant and is willing to come home. (:

Father I have sinned,
Help me find my way
Remember not my sins,
Just let me hear you say

(Chorus)
I forgive you, I love you
You are mine, take my hand
Go in peace, sin no more,
Beloved one

Father I have turned
My back and walked away
Depended on my strength and loved life my own way
(Chorus)

Father I have closed,
My heart to those in need
Thought only of myself,
A victim of my greed

((Chorus)

Father I've returned,
I'm home with you to stay
Standing by your door,
Knowing that you'll say

(Chorus)

Please pray for the confirmants in this coming retreat, that their hearts will be opened to receive the awesome love and power of the Lord. That they will be able to experience God himself, as they become affirmed in their faith.

Please also pray for those attending Awaken tomorrow, that they will be fully renewed in the Spirit, to have that fresh conversion and inspire the rest of the people around them.

This is gonna be an spirit-filled week for both the confirmants, the facils and the Awaken participants! We are gonna storm heaven with our prayers! (:

Being a happy christian: from a view of a taxi driver

So the last few sessions of YM were about being hungry for God and how to be happy christians right?

A little background story:
Just the other day, after a long dry season of not being able to go home early, there came that one chance that i could leave work on time! However, something else cropped up, and that chance flew, really leaving 1 hr later. I was walking to the main road to wait for a taxi, when I saw one at the opposite direction, I was still rather far off from the road, but decided to try flagging anyway, and walk a little bit faster hoping the taxi will stop for me. and it did!
Boarding the cab, I stated my destination, 2 places actually as I was also dropping off some documents for another colleague of mine. The uncle suddenly clapped his hands and exclaimed, YAY! Woah, honestly I was a little shocked, what can he be so happy about right?

Throughout the journey, the uncle was laughing and singing happily. For a person (me) who have gone through a tiring day at work, his behaviour was a ltttle not normal, or rather too hyperactive for my comfort. But nevertheless, we started chatting. And as we were chatting, I noticed a cap on the dashboard, with "Praise the Lord" in front. So the thought that came was, "ok so he is Christian too"

We were in a jam on the road, I guess everyone was going home that day at that time. The uncle said to me, "You know I am really happy you boarded tha cab!" And he went further on to explain.. His first passenger took his taxi from the airport to Pasir Panjang - that makes a good start in his business that day, but so far! Then he picked up a Caucasian lady who wanted to go to Bugis - and he was like YAY! another good journey, he is going back to the east! And then he dropped another girl from Bugis to Selegie. Afterwards, he saw me, and I live in Changi - which means he will be going back to the airport after that!!! And he made a full circle, even though the beginning was uncertain. He proceeded on to say that God really provided for him that day as he was initially thinking how he was ever gonna get back to the airport if his first destination was so far away. But in the end, he decided to trust in the Lord, and just flow according to His way, and indeed truely He provided!

After that whole conversation, he started sharing light hearted jokes of the parliament, of anything under the sun that totally tickled me.. and when I left the cab, I was awake and happy! He talked about his family, and all the time, he keeps praising the Lord for what he has in his life now, and how thankful he is.

It's just a ride home, but throughout the ride, the sessions all came back to me, and it made sense! Only by being happy, looking happy, then other people around you will get affected and will listen to you. If we were grumpy all the time, who wants to talk to you, much less to know anything about you.

Have a great week everyone! (:

catholic websites

Its been a long while since anyone has blogged here..

I was reading and surfing the web for good sites to read, when a good friend of mine recommended quite a number of interesting catholic websites with interesting articles and resources.

Let me list out a few:

1. http://www.catholicculture.org/
2. http://lifeteen.com/
3. http://catholicexchange.com/
4. http://www.catholicintl.com/

Do take a look at each of them. You might be able to find something that relates to you.

Let me just share an article from Catholic Culture, titled Grace & Rationalization: Closely Linked. I studied Sociology as a major in university and theories are all I studied. Of course, I cant escape from rationalization, the basis of many things. When reading this article, it suddenly dawned on me how fine the line that separates grace and rationalization, yet also blurs the separation of both. It has put a new perspective in looking at how these 2 go parallel to each other, somehow. I have copied the article here, do take the time to read it. (:

Grace and Rationalization: Closely Linked
By Dr. Jeff Mirus November 17, 2011 8:28 PM

In studying the Catholic doctrine on grace, a fascinating connection emerges between rationalization and grace—or rather resistance to grace. I believe this explains quite a bit of what we instinctively sense about those who live and foster immoral lifestyles. It explains why those who are sensitive to these things always wonder what people are running away from when they come up with the usual inadequate reasons for their behavior.

The Catholic doctrine of grace holds first that grace is offered to all men, second that we are incapable of doing any good thing in a meritorious way without it, and third that we are nonetheless fully responsible if we do evil instead. Here’s how it works:
God gives us a grace which causes the intellect to recognize some good and the will to take an initial complacency in that good.

Recognizing this, we either initially resist the grace through the free exercise of our will, or we do not resist it but instead initially simply do nothing at all.
If we do nothing at all, the grace moves us toward the good and, utilizing the power of grace, our own wills freely choose the completion of the necessary good action in cooperation with the grace.

But if we initially resist, the grace that has been given fails in its effect, and we choose to sin. We are capable of doing this under our own power because sin is a deficiency, and man is capable of deficiency unaided by grace.

Now note what resistance to grace consists of. It consists of a turning of the will away from the good God has brought to our attention through grace. And part of this turning occurs when the will commands the intellect to cease to recognize the goodness it has apprehended.

Then the intellect serves the will either by a simple darkening or, more likely, by the exercise of its natural ability but in such a way as to satisfy the will’s command that what was momentarily apprehended as good is really not good at all, or at least not a necessary good. This, of course, is the beginning of rationalization.

If we are habitually properly responsive to grace, we learn to recognize this sort of rationalization in ourselves, either looking back on earlier situations, or in present moments of weakness. Those who are habitually responsive to grace also perceive it very clearly in those who are not. But it remains very difficult to convince people that they are rationalizing, for the whole point is that the will refuses to permit the intellect to admit the truth because the will has rebelled against this particular good.

I suspect our readers will see this, now that I’ve pointed it out: Rationalization is what the intellect does when the will commands it to turn away from some good that grace has enabled it to apprehend.

Love, angele

Unconditional Love

In the secular world, there is a saying " There is no free lunch in the world"

which means nothing comes free in the world

For anything that we give out, we always expect something in return

But in the spiritual world that we are so blessed with..there is NO small print, no hidden T&Cs to obtain His love.

Now what more can we ask for? (:

Love, angele

Evangelization

Today Ben and Fran gave a session on Evangelisation - with regards to a talk they attended a few Fridays ago about Faith.. (I cant rem the exact title)
I actually went to google on the definition of 'evangelization' itself.

And it says:

Evangelization means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation and seeking to convert individuals and society by the divine power of the Gospel
itself.
(This is the definition for Evangelization used by the Church from the writings of Pope Paul VI - On Evangelization in the Modern World [Evangelii
Nuntiandi], no. 18, 1975.)

I used to think that to evangelize is something not done by the laity, but only by the religious priests, brothers and nuns. It's like something that needs to have authority to perform on other people. St Francis of Assisi once quoted - 'Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words'. This further confirmed for me then that it wasnt something common people like us could do, rather you have to be trained for it officially.

Not only that, evangelization was a term that I associated more with the non-Catholics, put more simply - the Protestants. Its always seems that its their innate nature to go out into the streets handing out flyers and telling strangers how good God is. And I always found these people intimidating.

Apparently I was wrong, evangelization does not only consists of preaching the word of God to other people. but it also involves living the Christian faith and doing good to others in your own way. As how Pope Paul IV puts it. " Evangelization is in fact the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize."

As I googled more into this topic, I came across a phrase ' New Evangelization', and it was coined by Pope John Paul II, that in this new age and century, evangelization is no longer just a task performed by the religious brothers and sisters, but also by the congregation.

In The Mission of the Redeemer, he wrote [Redemptoris Missio], “the
moment has come to commit all of the Church’s energies to a new
evangelization and to the mission ad gentes. No believer in Christ, no
institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all
peoples.”

And this reminds me of a Peanuts cartoon/comic strip I saw from one catholic blog that I stumbled onto cos i was googling about comic strips for a cathechism class about family.

This defensiveness can be seen in many of us - Catholics today, especially when we meet someone who knows more about our own religion, or is more out-spoken about Christianity/Catholicism. We think we know everything, yet we get stumped at questions/views posed to us. But after all that, it just goes to show that we take our religion for granted.

But now, the question is, have we shown that we are good Christians through our actions and the words that we say. Or are we only Christians on Sundays? That was the question posed to us during the session today, and that got me thinking. We take for granted that there is always someone who will start the ball rolling, but the irony is.. everyone is waiting for that someone to take the first step. So then, what exactly is the thing that holds us back from being Christians to others, from evangelizing to others about Christ's love for us? What are we waiting for anyway?

What is your take on this? Pls do comment. (:

Love, angele

Food For Thought

JOB vs MINISTRY

Some people have a JOB in the church;
others involve themselves in a MINISTRY.

What is the difference?

If you are doing it just because no one else will, it's a JOB.
If you are doing it to serve the Lord, it's a MINISTRY.

If you quit because somebody critized you, it was a JOB.
If you keep on serving, it's a MINISTRY.

If you'll do it only as it does not interfere with your other activities, it's a JOB.
If you are committed to staying with it even when it means letting go of other things, it's a MINISTRY.

If you quit because no one praised you or thanked you, it was a JOB.
If you stay with it even though nobody recognizes your efforts, it is a MINISTRY.

It's hard to get excited about a JOB.
It's almost impossible not to be excited about a MINISTRY.

If our concern is success, it's a JOB.
If our concern is faithfulness, it's a MINISTRY.

An average church is filled with people doing JOBs.
A great and growing church is filled with people involved in MINISTRY.

Where do we fit in? What about us?

If God calls you to a MINISTRY, don't treat it like a JOB.
If you have a JOB, give it up and find a MINSTRY.
God does not want us feeling stuck with a JOB,but excited and faithful to Him in a MINISTRY.

===========
So many times I neglect the real purpose of why I continue to serve esp when times seem so tough; I cant see the light. But yet, after reading this old email that I received 2 years ago, suddenly makes sense especially now when i am more involved.

Hope this appeals to you as much as it did for me. (:

Hugs, angele

Day of Recollection (DOR) for YM

28 Feb 2009, Saturday was the day of our DOR. This is my sharing on what I learnt that day. I found it totally useful =) Thank you Eugene! (theres the urge to call u brother still haha.)



Activity 1: Silent amazing race

Rules: No talking unless instructed to do so.

Only the leader for that station is allowed to read out the instructions.



Station 1: Walk to ECP (mind you we were at QOP!) in a single file and each to pick up a handful of sand and a seashell.

My thoughts: Oh man...just when I'm getting all hyped up, he makes me play this game which has no talking...its rarely that i have so much energy in me...now i gotta supress it -_-

Anws, i can live without talking. Lalala..oh wow the nice warm sun after coming out of that freezing cold room. (after walking for 10 mins)...crap its damn hot...oh how nice the clouds r moving to give me some shade =) oh now got some wind =) wow God is good =p he listens to my complains haha! Thank you! k i should stop complaining...



now that we are reaching ECP..what were we supposed to do again? Oh i only rem something bout everyone having a handful of sand. Oh phew, ben rems the seashells. ok sign language isnt tt effective. Anw what i learnt here was tt after a long journey, thru all the toils n snares =p we forget our Mission! But no worries, that's y we travel in a group, each helps to rem different stuff. We need reminders every once in a while =)



Station 2: Going to Holy Family Adoration rm

My tots: Wow..i had catechism lessons for 2 whole years in holy family n I've never been into the adoration room! Tsktsk, this just reflects my longing for my wanting to be in God's presence. I'm ashamed.

(Damien joins us at holy fam with his car)



Station 3: Find the lamb with the 7 seals, where the shamrock resides, by bus.

We never guessed the right place(holy trin)...we got stuck at st pats. We are tired n lost! Can we pls go back! lets call eugene...can we skip to station 5 (which is QOP)? due to time constrains..yes =) we managed to skip station 3n4.



Station 5: Split into groups of 2 or 3. Able to talk to own group mates. Take a bus back to QOP.

My tots: omg its finally over! Ah who cares bout the toking...n the bus! Let's take damiens car!



BIG LESSON: *I sold my FREE WILL for convenience, saving face..etc*

Why? We compromised so many rules, taking the car, talking to each other in the end ..etc. Why did I take the car? Caz I was tired and everyone was going to take the car. Why did I not tell my grp to not take his car? Caz I tot its ending..plus its just a game..we dun have to stick to the rules..or more like caz i knew everyone wanted to take the car and objecting would be so malu. Why did I talk to the other grp? caz we were in the same car n i did not want to seem as if i was such a sticker for rules.



My resolution: Next time when making decisions, I should look deep into the real reason of why I'm choosing that. Is it out of convenience? (usual thinking: no harm breaking stupid rules with no consequences right?) even when I know it is wrong.



Activity 2: Pick fotos that relate to me

http://www.herronisland.org/home/geoduck/Blood....jpg this isnt the exact picture but same meaning...It represents me falling down and getting dirty and hurt.



http://www.naturalperson.com/New%20Website/5%20Advance/Adv%20Site%20Pics/Red%20Pill%20Hand.jpg pill in hand. I have my pride, I hate eating med or going to doc, just like how I dislike receiving external help. I try to do everything on my own first. But I realised, for a speedy recovery (from my falls), I should humbly accept this external help.



http://www.michigan.gov/images/mdch/hands_in_sand_243183_7.jpg (if u go search goolge for "hands" you will find my hands doing many things. Our pair of hands have served us well, they can do millions of things. What more if we be humble and work together. We would be able to acheive 7X 70 X 70 million. =) Each hand has a different talent. Isn't that beautiful.



http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1433/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1433R-102025.jpg If only I kept quiet more often and tried listening to God. I would be able to c the beauty in everything around me http://media.photobucket.com/image/meditation%2Bhands/Xina1/Fantasy/l_8861f96a51c72e77950a1774b698be-2.jpg I know God loves me =)



Activity 3: The Seven Sacraments



Reconciliation: We can do this in our daily lives when we allow forgiveness to happen. Not only do we have to forgive others, we should let others forgive us...and let us forgive ourselves. Reconciliation is the reuniting of 2 parties, to have a closer relationship.



Eucharist: Jesus sacrificed himself to allow others to live. Have I sacrificed anything to help others live better? Eg: Sacrifice my time to listen to other people's complains, so that they know and feel that other pple care for them. Hence they feel more like living.



Holy Orders: A priest or nun?! I do not have to be any of those to live this our in my life. I can spread the word of God to others in my daily life! If people do not go to God, I can bring God to them. =)



Marriage: This seems so far away..I'm still studying...but guess wad, Marriage is about commitment. Commitment to love others thru thick and thin. I can love all my YM members =) even though we do dumb things and get angry over stuff...Unconditional love means that there are no "if's". There is no "if you were good, or if you did not have AIDS, or if you did not smoke, then I would love you." NO! I love you no matter what you do, or have or are. =) Ez to say..hard to do...but with God, nothing is impossible =)



Anointing the sick: Caring for people when they are in need of SOMEONE, not something. To be there for the person. No early thing (ipod, car, house..etc) can or will console a dying person. What they need is to know that someone is there with them, and they are not alone. Do not be afraid.



Confirmation: The bishop says "Be sealed with the Holy Spirit" and in the past, they give you a tight slap!(WAKE UP!) We are to be soldiers for Christ! no more babies drinking milk. Soldiers means we defend and protect. We fight for what is right! Has anyone insulted your friend and you did not say anything to defend him/her? How about ur religion? Do you feel unprepared or ill armed with knowlege? For me honestly...yes. My plan =) is to go for more courses and read more to learn more n more...never ending amt of learning.



Baptism: We are to give 3 promises which lead us into 3 missions

3 promises are Poverty (poverty of spirit meaning that we depend solely on God), Chastity (in Latin it also means love...to love only God) and Obedience (listen to God, willingly, becaz you love Him, not becaz u are afraid to go to hell)



3 missions: Priestly (bring Jesus to people)

Prophetic (the voice that dares to speak the truth)

Kingly (we are heirs to God's Kingdom, let us BE a good example)



In these 7 sacraments, we have to bring God to ourselves first before we can bring them to others. How do I love others if I do not know what loving myself is?



BIG question to ask yourself: Who owns YM?

if your answer is WE DO! the answer is wrong/insufficient. The correct answer is I DO!

When we say "we" there is this idea that if I do not do xyz, someone can cover for me. Hence it is not a 100% commitement from each person. If you say "I" then there is a 100% commitment for each person! so imagine how much more powerful we are =) 10X100=1000% ! Do not underestimate yourself and what God can make you become. God takes the weak to shame the strong.



After all this, what are you going to do about yourself? What are you lacking that could be improved? How can this improvement help YM? What is YM lacking? How can I improve that?

God's answers to your problems

How many times have we said "I cant..." and gave up on ourselves?
How many times have we had the intention to run away from our problems?

I have.

It's amazing how the bible has so much enouraging words for me, that everytime I feel horrid, like giving up. When I feel myself falling backwards into a deep valley, there always seems to be a pair of hands that grabs me and pulls me up again.

And tt, I know is You, Lord.
Thank you for always being there, for never letting me go, no matter what I do. (:

I hope some of these will answer your problems too, like how it answered mine.

You say: 'It's impossible'
God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)

You say: 'I'm too tired'
God says: I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: 'Nobody really loves me'
God says: I love you (John 3:1 6 & John 3:34)

You say: 'I can't go on'
God says: My grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: 'I can't figure things out'
God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5- 6)

You say: 'I can't do it'
God says: You can do all things (Philippians 4:13)

You say: 'I'm not able'
God says: I am able (II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: 'It's not worth it'
God says: It will be worth it (Roman 8:28 )

You say: 'I can't forgive myself'
God says: I Forgive you (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: 'I can't manage'
God says: I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)

You say: 'I'm afraid'
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)

You say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated'
God says: Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)

You say: 'I'm not smart enough'
God says: I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: 'I feel all alone'
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)

Hugs, angele

Amplify Friday in the City!

Man it was good! Leonard (the very anointed speaker), God bless you!



I'll share with you what I learnt from there. I encourage the rest to share how they felt too =)



There is so much insight to the 'woman at the well' story, which I never knew before!here goes..



Jn 4:1-30 (careful its not letter of Jn, its Gospel of Jn)

1.When Jesus heard the Pharisees had found out that he was making and baptising more disciples than John

2. though in fact it was his disciples who baptised, not Jesus himself

3. he left Judea and went back to Galilee.

So here we begin with Church politics...very common in our lives..imagine pple comparing the JCFC(Jesus Christ Fan Club) who is holding a huge party at sentosa and getting more members than the JBYM (John the Baptist youth ministry) who only have a small NTUC chalet party.

We totally miss the point sometimes, that we are all one, all Christians.



4.Jesus had to pass through Samaria.

Jesus made it sound like he had an appointment..of caz from Judea to Galilee, Samaria is the shortest route..but who every takes that route?! It's filled with disgusting Samaritans.



5. On the way he came to the Samaritan town called Sychar near the land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

6. Jacob's well was there and Jesus, tired by the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the 6th hour. (in our terms..its 12 noon)

7. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water,

Now isn't this odd...y would one want to draw water at 12 noon when it was hottest?! Everyone tries to go when there's no sun, in the morning or evening. Either this woman is trying to beat the ERP charges and the mad rush, OR she is out to avoid meeting anyone. Why avoid? Maybe she is ashamed of herself or she is outcasted...we'll find out later.



7. Jesus said to her, " Give me something to drink."

8. His disciples had gone into town to buy food.

9. The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew. How is it that you ask me, a Samaritan for something to drink?" Jews, of course, do not associate with Samaritans.

The background of why Jews do not associate with Samaritans is because Jews are considered the pure race, while Samaritans were Jews who intermarried with other people who entered the country. The Jews hated the Samaritans also bcoz they had other gods. So she was considered the lowest of the low since she was not only a Samaritan but also a woman (the lesser of the two sexes) so she was very shocked how come Jesus even talked to her..and even asked her for a favour.



10. Jesus replied "If you only knew what God is offering and who it is that is saying to you: 'Give me a drink', you would have been the one to ask, and he would have given tou living water."

11. "You have no bucket, sir", she answered " and the well is deep, how could you get this living water?

12.Are you a greater man than our father Jacob who gave is this well and drank from it himself with his sons and his cattle?"

Over here, Jesus is telling her, if you knew I was the Son of God, and what eternal life God wants to grant you, you would not care about this water, you would ask me to give u that eternal life!

Unfortunately, all of us... like the woman, do not get it that quickly. She thinks of material things...does not get the drift of what Jesus is offering her. "So without the bucket you can get water?! how? Oh i know...ur from PUB right?!"



13. Jesus replied "Whoever drinks this water will get thirsty again;

14. but anyone who drinks the water that I shall give will never be thirsty again. The water that I shall give will turn into a spring inside him, welling up to eternal life."

15. "Sir," said the woman "give me some of that water, so that I may never get thristy and never have to come here again to draw water."

Yea...this woman sorta half half gets it but not quite...she is thinking...I dun wana be thirsty again...So you mean you have pipes that lead to my house and I can get water by just turning the tap?! Way cool and convenient! I want! Help me install!



16. "Go and call your husband" said Jesus to her " and come back here."

Jesus knows she yearns for salvation, but He needs to heal her first before she can accept this salvation. To heal her, he has to touch her wound...a very deep wound...



17. The woman answered, "I have no husband".

18. He said to her, "You are right to say that you have no husband for although u had 5, the one you have now is not your husband. You spoke the truth there".

Ouch. (guess she is avoiding pple caz of this) Jesus sure poked her open wound really hard. However he acknowledges her honesty.



19. "I see that you are a prophet, sir" said the woman.

20. "Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, while you say that Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship"

21-24. Jesus said: "Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know; for salvation comes from the Jews. But the hour will come- in fact it is here already- when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; that is the kind of worshipper the Father wants. God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth"

Now the woman understands better, that he sure is some1 great, how else could this stranger know my dirty background so well! Then she admits that they have not been following the right paths. Jesus tells her, no matter, if u start now to worship the right God with truth and in spirit, you will be saved. Jesus looks past the sin n sees us for what we really are. He comes at any hour, He doesn't wait for us to get our act together..He comes to heal us.

The Spirit is the one who makes a new creature of man.

Worship "In truth" because that is the only worship that meets the conditions of God revealed by Jesus.





25. The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah-that is, Christ- is coming; and when he comes he will tell us everything".

26. "I who am speaking to you," said Jesus, "I am he."

This woman dares not trusts all he says... so she tells him that Christ is coming and when he comes he will tell us everything. implying that there is no need to tell me so much now for I dun even know you.

To her surprise...The Son of God is speaking to her now! So she better believe it!



27. At this point the disciples returned, and were surprised to find him speaking to a woman, though none of them asked "what do u want from her?" or "why are u toking to her?!"

28. The woman put down her water jar and hurried back to the town to tell the people

29. "Come and see a man who has told me everything i ever did; I wonder if he is the Christ?"

30. This brought pple out of town and the started walking towards Him.

Wonderful news is that the woman has been healed. Remember that she was trying her best to avoid everyone...but now, she runs towards the town where there are many people! And she is even so brave to tell everyone that she has met Christ! urges them to go c 4 themselves!

More wonderful news is that if u read on, many more pple believed in Jesus because of this woman =)



There is more to this story than just that...Leonard tells us that this story shows us what sin is...to fill the hole in your heart, the yearning of your soul with pleasures and satisfaction..but not God =( and sin...is addictive, worse still it kills you without you even knowing it.



I hope this sharing has helped you =)

Love,

Fran

A TEENAGER'S VIEW OF HEAVEN

A very thought provoking email I received.
Take a while to read it till the end. (:

17-year-old Brian Moore had only a short time to write something for a class.
The subject was what Heaven was like. 'I wowed 'em,' he later told his father,
Bruce. 'It's a killer. It's the bomb. It's the best thing I ever wrote..' It
also was the last.

Brian Moore died May 27, 1997, the day after Memorial
Day. He was driving home from a friend's house when his car went off
Bulen-Pierce Road in Pickaway County and struck a utility pole. He emerged from
the wreck unharmed but stepped on a downed power line and was electrocuted.

The Moores framed a copy of Brian's essay and hung it among the family
portraits in the living room. 'I think God used him to make a point. I think we
were meant to find it and make something out of it,' Mrs. Moore said of the
essay. She and her husband want to share their son's vision of life after death.
'I'm happy for Brian. I know he's in heaven. I know I'll see him.'

Brian's Essay: The Room...
In that place between wakefulness and
dreams, I found myself in the room. There were no distinguishing features except
for the one wall covered with small index card files. They were like the ones in
libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these
files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endless in either
direction, had very different headings. As I drew near the wall of files, the
first to catch my attention was one that read 'Girls I have liked.' I opened it
and began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that
I recognized the names written on each one. And then without being told, I knew
exactly where I was.

This lifeless room with its small files was a crude
catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of my every moment,
big and small, in a detail my memory couldn't match. A sense of wonder and
curiosity, coupled with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening
files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a
sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see
if anyone was watching.

A file named 'Friends' was next to one marked
'Friends I have betrayed.' The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright
weird 'Books I Have Read,' 'Lies I Have Told,' 'Comfort I have Given,' 'Jokes I
Have Laughed at .' Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: 'Things I've
yelled at my brothers.' Others I couldn't laugh at: 'Things I Have Done in My
Anger', 'Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents.' I never ceased
to be surprised by the contents.

Often there were many more cards than I
expected. Sometimes fewer than I hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of
the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had the time in my years to
fill each of these thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed
this truth. Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my
signature.

When I pulled out the file marked 'TV Shows I have watched',
I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed
tightly, and yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I
shut it, shamed, not so much by the quality of shows but more by the vast time I
knew that file represented.

When I came to a file marked 'Lustful
Thoughts,' I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled the file out only an
inch, not willing to test its size and drew out a card. I shuddered at its
detailed content.

I felt sick to think that such a moment had been
recorded. An almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: No
one must ever see these cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy
them!' In insane frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had
to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding
it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and
pulled out a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it.

Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning
my forehead against the wall, I let out a long, self-pitying sigh.

And
then I saw it.. The title bore 'People I Have Shared the Gospel With.' The
handle was brighter than those around it,seemed newer, almost unused. I pulled
on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell into my
hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand.

And then the
tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they hurt. They started in my
stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of
shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves swirled
in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room. I must lock it
up and hide the key. But then as I pushed away the tears, I saw Him.

No,
please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as He began
to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch His response. And
in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face, I saw a sorrow deeper
than my own.

He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He
have to read every one? Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room.
He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't anger me.
I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He
walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said so many things. But He
didn't say a word. He just cried with me.

Then He got up and walked back
to the wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, He took out a file and,
one by one, began to sign His name over mine on each card. 'No!' I shouted
rushing to Him. All I could find to say was 'No, no,' as I pulled the card from
Him. His name shouldn't be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so
rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His
blood. He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the
cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next
instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side.

He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, 'It is finished.' I stood
up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There were
still cards to be written.

'I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me.'-Phil. 4:13 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only
son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.' If
you feel the same way forward it so the love of Jesus will touch their lives
also My 'People I shared the gospel with' file just got bigger, how about yours?

Oolong Tea

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed Oolong tea. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
Then she ladled the Oolong out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked,

"Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and Oolong tea," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the Oolong. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The Oolong tea was unique, however. After they were in the boiling water , they had changed the water color and taste.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a Oolong tea?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the Oolong tea? The tea actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the tea, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a Oolong tea?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.

Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

Jesus

"God speaks in the silence of the heart.

Listening is the beginning of prayer. "

Conference on Life in the Spirit Seminar (LISS)

My reflections on this conference tt happened on 4 & 5 Aug 2007. The first day was a struggle to get thru the day man! To me, the first session was dry, but as i continued to listen to the 2nd session, i learnt new things. If not for Angele, would not be there on the second day...n the 2nd day was much more interesting in terms of content. This might get a lil lengthy caz I'm summarising 18 hrs worth of the conference into this tiny lil page...haha!k to be truthful, i think i only caught 4 hrs worth of it..so Angele can share her experience too so u'll get a fuller understanding.

The theme for this year's LISS is 'As by a New Pentecost'. As we all know, Pentecost is the day when the disciples experienced the Holy Spirit. As Fr. Gino explained, having a God experience is different from having a Baptism in the Holy Spirit. A personal God experience might change ur life, we look at things differently after that. You may have more than one God experience but the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is when YOU give God that promise of surrendering ur all to HIM, a definitive YES! to everything He wants u to do. The thought of what I want to do fades off and in every single little thing, we seek God's advice. At this point, I gotta admit, i have had a few God experiences but i have not given Him the definitive YES! yet but I'm striving towards it...slowly...in my own lil ways. I encourage you to do so too =) caz God loves us so much, i just feel I owe Him something...i mean..EVERYTHING!

Basically the definitive YES! requires my obedience/ submission to Him, and my prayers (I just realised how impt this is, n I'm so guilty of not praying deeply enough.I usually treat prayer as a sleeping pill..say already sure fall asleep one. well tt jus goes to show my spiritual level ain't to high...tts y im working on it).

As for the gifts of the Holy Spirit...they are cool! n its a WOW! experience when you get them but Fr. Gino was warning us that as time passes, we tend to use these gifts, neither for the good of others, nor to glorify God but we use it to show off, or get power, then we get arrogant and proud and all so yeah...Fr. Gino calls this spiritual warfare. One example is that when we read the Bible n all we think we know better than the priest so we either not listen in mass or we think the priest is talking bullshit. so he reminds us not to succumb to the attractions of the world, and he assures us that God is with us to fight off all these but we ourselves must be prepared.

The interesting thing i learnt on the first day was where my spiritual level is at...i shy to tell u what my is la but here are the 2 general levels: the feeling level, and the spirit level. Feeling level refers to when we feel holy then we do good but when we dun feel tt God is close then we stray. so eg when we sin, we go 4 confession then we feel all gd again so for a while we keep away from tt sin. but when temptation comes we fall back into tt sin , n we feel all horrible again then we go 4 confession again...we end up repeating our sins caz we do not have on going repentence. this leads to the sin becoming a habit and then its a sin attitude, lastly it becomes complusion.
Spirit level would be when we are able to use the gifts for the glory of God no matter how far away we feel we are from God. n a tis level, u wud have a love for scripture and u are open to share the faith with others. I think this is the gist of a new Pentecost, where we receive the gifts and we go out to evangelise.

Qn we reflected on day 1:
1. Have I fully surrendered my life to Jesus whereby He is the center of my life?
-Do I consult Him in everything I do?
-Do I do what He wants me to do or what I want to do?

2. Do I pray deeply in the Spirit?
-Do I have intimacy with God in my prayers?
-How much time do I spend each day in prayer?
-Is my prayer time more than the time i spend with my loved ones?
-Do I strive to make it better?

3.Do I have the hunger for the Word of God?

Hope these questions will help you reflect on ur spiritual life =)
and Day 2...

In us, we have our emotions, our mind and our inner being( this is where God dwells).
when we have a God experience, it vibrates thru our body, if affects our emotions and our mind. we feel at peace and we mature. anw, Fr. Gino was trying to explain to us how immature and mature actions work thru our mind, emotions and our inner being. this is a simple eg ...when someone is late for a meeting ur in charge of...

immature: emotion-we feel angry
mind- y is he always late? scold!

mature: inner being-keep calm, pple have their reasons for being like that
emotions- trying to cool down
mind- dun scold...smile and welcome the person.

eventually the person might feel guilty tt u din scold him n he will apologize...haha! if not he'll still think ur nice..n he'll wonder y? hopefully he'll find out tt its the God in u tt makes u so nice.

therefore being guided by the inner being will lead u to maturity. come to think of it...maybe tts y i get irritated so easily some times...i chucked my inner being away somewhere...

Day2 Qn: What was my God experience and how did that change my life?

The purpose of LISS is to help pple b more aware of the Holy Spirit.
they also gave some tips on how to conduct a LISS on our own...n well i gtg eat now...they actually have a manual on how to conduct LISS. Anw..Angele i really think this is not even half of what they tried to impart to us, so u can continue =) thanks! =p

Fran =)

Luke 10:17-20

The Return of the Seventy

And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

signing off, angele

A short passage

I thought it would be nice to share this passage that was done during the prayer gathering just now..

The Inner Conflict within us..
Romans 7:14-25

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

everyone has their own inner conflict, a conflict between what is right in the eyes of Law of the Church and what actually is decided and done by ourselves. I am sure there are many a times when we know what should be done, yet we ourselves do the direct opposite. So this passage reflects what happens to us in our daily lives.
Just think abt it.

A time to reflect: Tree of Life

The vine and the branches
John 15:1-6

'I am the true vine and my Father is the vinegrower. If any of my branches doesn't bear fruit, he breaks it off; and he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, that it may bear even more fruit. You are already made clean by the word I have spoken to you; live in me as I live in you. The branch cannot bear fruit by itself but has to remain part of the vine; so neither can you if you do not remain in me. I am the vine and you are the branches. As long as you remain in me and I in you, you bear much fruit; but apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not remain in me is thrown away as they do with branches when they wither. Then they are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned.'

This part of John's gospel reminds us that we are part of our Lord. Many parts, one body. However the analogy here is a plant, or tree if you may. As long as we stay rooted in his teachings and Love, we will always be part of the vine and bear fruit - to recieve nutrients from him and provide sweet Spirit food for others.

Cheers & God Bless
ian