s.p.a.r.k.s

it's a malaysian thing

(source)

At camp post mortem, many people touched on the issue of the food served on the camp site. Diverse views were voiced out - some thought the food was the suckiest of all camps, others thought the food was the best of all camps. Strange, but taste is relative...I think.

That got me thinking about a conversation I had with Encore on the second day lunch - I asked him how was the food, mentioning that I didn't think it was that good. His reply surprised me - "Gou chi hou le" (Chinese for "As long as we've got food that's good enough").

Yeah, the quality of food was mediocre to some - but the whole purpose of the food is to nourish us, to fill our stomachs for energy. And the other purpose of eating we always overlook - the gathering of people over a meal. Eating with people fosters a bond that you can't get through any team-building activity. Just ask families who make weekend dinners compulsory, and cell group leaders who insist on serving food at the end of every meeting.

I hope that at camp, the campers got to bond over food with people they rarely talk to, and that new friendships were made from meal times. I did!

my head told my heart let love grow

MUMFORD AND SONS ARE ENGLISH?!

I think I have a crush on the lead singer. He looks a bit like Jon Hamm.

losing my religion

(source)

A time comes when I have to leave behind all that I am familiar with and grew up with, discarding it all for a new season.


It's not very healthy to attach yourself to one thing too much, I always tell myself. Don't attach yourself to the people around you, because they're bound to leave sooner or later. That's the one thing I try to keep, but then I'll attach myself instead to other things which are more unhealthy: experiences, moments, policies, tradition and the thing we call religion.


Then I go through that cycle of unhinging myself from things which I have held on to too tightly, to cling on instead to the eternal hope that is God. I find a peace when I trust in God and attach myself to Him and His promises. Holding on tighter to my encounters with him, my heart feels a joy that no one else gives.


That beautiful encounter with God, that is something you have to experience yourself. :)

perception and trust

Deep down inside, every single person has some traits in them that, at its best, is annoying; and at its worst, detestable, to other people. (There is no shame in acknowledging that I myself have these faults)

I believe that whatever you choose to think of a person will be what that person will be to you. If you choose to see that a businessman who made one accidental mistake in his career is a crook because of that one mistake, he will continue to be a crook to you despite his subsequent behavior of integrity and justice.

It's strange how it works, but I do believe this is how we get by with people we THINK we cannot tolerate in life.

Likewise, it is also of utmost importance to think of people on pedestals as mere humans - ever ready to soar among the eagles yet always at risk of falling to temptation as their lives go on.



Note to self: For every one person you put your trust in, you must also learn to put more of your trust in the One who will never fail. The One who remains unchanged yesterday, today and tomorrow, and way into the forever of the future is the one constant.


"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

Post camp

This week, we begin another part of our lives - life, post-camp. The usual suspects emerge from deep beneath the surface - post-camp withdrawal symptom, post-camp 16-hour sleep, post-camp sickness...but what if all this was not meant to be? What if all of these symptoms and sicknesses we bring upon ourselves is our own denial? What if God didn’t ever want all of this?


What if, after camp, was the REAL camp? Camp: Life Edition?


As all past camp presidents/speakers have said time and time again: Your challenge begins here. How much will you hold on to God’s presence and His promises after all the campers have gone back to their homes? How far will you go to keep on edifying one another? How desperate will you be in your prayer to see His kingdom come on earth?


Let’s not lose sight of the goal. May God’s Spirit go before you in all you do. I proclaim the powerful blood of Jesus upon your lives and destiny, that nothing shall steal your salvation away in these last days. We are all here for one another.


God doesn’t revoke his call (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2011:29&version=NIV) nor break his promises. We humans do, and that’s why we backslide sometimes. Go back to God - he is still waiting for you, the prodigal child!


For the new believers, your journey begins here. God is with you every step of the way, and so are we. Do not shy away from fellowship. Do not shy away from discovery. Embrace this new life in Christ. (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2012:2&version=NIV)

the chicken thief

i saw this while reading the newspaper the other day.

SO CUTEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEE

quote

"I know you can do it, not because of yourself, but because of God in you. I say this because I know what you can do and what you are capable of, and you, my friend, are certainly NOT capable of this!
Only God can do such a thing, an he will do it through you. You're just his vessel,"

Equilibrium

I feel two distinct feelings: fear that grips me and calmness that frees me.

I may have found the equilibrium I was looking for.