Friday, September 9, 2011
Do good because you simply are that good.
I learned an important lesson from the American Dream:
"Don't do good because you expect good to be done back."
"Do good because you simply are that good."
Monday, September 5, 2011
Not to be sent away, Come give love
I had a second chance with the Holy Spirit.
A homeless man came up to me.
"Can you spare a penny?"
Right beside me was a friend whom I just befriended.
"I am really sorry, I have none on me."
I wanted to give.
But the Holy spirit said, "wait, watch."
It was an awkward silence but I sadly shook my head.
He walked right into the church and waited.
An elder walked out of the church with her kid.
When he asked her the same question, she too declined and walked up to us saying, "Can you give him some money so that he can go away?"
It was here that I became appalled.
Then Holy spirit said, "This is where it gets down hill. They came, not to be sent away. Now give him what you have planned to do."
This time I walked up and asked for his hand.
Once he stretched it open, I lay a stack of coins.
Usually, they will accept whatever change and mutter a thanks.
The main intention is just to get some money.
However, this guy felt different.
Instantly, his eyes blew wide open.
He stood quiet for the longest time I can imagine.
Maybe he was on high or shocked.
But all he said was, "oh my God. Thank you! God bless your heart, sir."
How did he know that it was in my heart?
How could we have said 'that they may go away' when they should be 'brought in'?
-----------------
Trevor Hall - Brand New Day
(“Brand New Day” offers an upbeat message of accomplishing freedom by escaping selfish desires and bad habits. Hall says the song was inspired by Indian mystic Swami Vivekananda, who said, “Don’t fall asleep in the snow, or else you’ll never wake up.” Not to sleep in the snow means not to grow cold or be selfish, or you will never realize that you are lost yourself. Put a crown on the king is to put a consciousness on your mind.)
Don’t fall asleep in the snow,
Come up up up from below,
Wipe the sleep from your eyes
Oh, my, my!
Shake the dust of your hands,
And come run free on this land
if you wanna survive!
It’s time to wake up and sing
It’s time to wake up and sing
It’s time to wake up and sing
Put the crown on the king
Put the crown on the king
Live your life.
Now fallen soldiers arise,
Raise your hands to the skys.
I tell ya Momma's alive,
Lift up your love to the sky.
The sky don't don't question why,
This strength is of another kind,
Don't look around just look inside,
Ain't no lie it never dies so
We gonna wake up and sing,
We gonna wake up and sing,
We gonna wake up and sing,
Put the crown on the king
Put the crown on the king
It's your life
Sun coming up and everyone knows
Holding on to a time it's time to let go
This ain't for the money and not for the show
Like a river come down
Like a river come flow
I know you know we live we see
Were running to the rhythm and the rhythm don't sleep
Cook up the mixture
Tell all the listeners
This is the sound and we've come to listen
Chorus:
Come rise up, Come give love,
What you waiting for?
It's a brand new day.
All along here and now
What you waiting for
It's a brand new day
What you waiting for?
Wake up, wake up, wake up,
Wake up, wake up, wake up,
It’s a brand new day!
Wake up, wake up, wake up,
Wake up, wake up, wake up,
Let’s go it’s a brand new day!
Wake up, wake up, wake up,
Wake up, wake up, wake up,
It’s your brand new day!
Wake up, wake up, wake up,
Wake up, wake up, wake up,
Let’s go it’s a brand new day!
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
A homeless man came up to me.
"Can you spare a penny?"
Right beside me was a friend whom I just befriended.
"I am really sorry, I have none on me."
I wanted to give.
But the Holy spirit said, "wait, watch."
It was an awkward silence but I sadly shook my head.
He walked right into the church and waited.
An elder walked out of the church with her kid.
When he asked her the same question, she too declined and walked up to us saying, "Can you give him some money so that he can go away?"
It was here that I became appalled.
Then Holy spirit said, "This is where it gets down hill. They came, not to be sent away. Now give him what you have planned to do."
This time I walked up and asked for his hand.
Once he stretched it open, I lay a stack of coins.
Usually, they will accept whatever change and mutter a thanks.
The main intention is just to get some money.
However, this guy felt different.
Instantly, his eyes blew wide open.
He stood quiet for the longest time I can imagine.
Maybe he was on high or shocked.
But all he said was, "oh my God. Thank you! God bless your heart, sir."
How did he know that it was in my heart?
How could we have said 'that they may go away' when they should be 'brought in'?
-----------------
Trevor Hall - Brand New Day
(“Brand New Day” offers an upbeat message of accomplishing freedom by escaping selfish desires and bad habits. Hall says the song was inspired by Indian mystic Swami Vivekananda, who said, “Don’t fall asleep in the snow, or else you’ll never wake up.” Not to sleep in the snow means not to grow cold or be selfish, or you will never realize that you are lost yourself. Put a crown on the king is to put a consciousness on your mind.)
Don’t fall asleep in the snow,
Come up up up from below,
Wipe the sleep from your eyes
Oh, my, my!
Shake the dust of your hands,
And come run free on this land
if you wanna survive!
It’s time to wake up and sing
It’s time to wake up and sing
It’s time to wake up and sing
Put the crown on the king
Put the crown on the king
Live your life.
Now fallen soldiers arise,
Raise your hands to the skys.
I tell ya Momma's alive,
Lift up your love to the sky.
The sky don't don't question why,
This strength is of another kind,
Don't look around just look inside,
Ain't no lie it never dies so
We gonna wake up and sing,
We gonna wake up and sing,
We gonna wake up and sing,
Put the crown on the king
Put the crown on the king
It's your life
Sun coming up and everyone knows
Holding on to a time it's time to let go
This ain't for the money and not for the show
Like a river come down
Like a river come flow
I know you know we live we see
Were running to the rhythm and the rhythm don't sleep
Cook up the mixture
Tell all the listeners
This is the sound and we've come to listen
Chorus:
Come rise up, Come give love,
What you waiting for?
It's a brand new day.
All along here and now
What you waiting for
It's a brand new day
What you waiting for?
Wake up, wake up, wake up,
Wake up, wake up, wake up,
It’s a brand new day!
Wake up, wake up, wake up,
Wake up, wake up, wake up,
Let’s go it’s a brand new day!
Wake up, wake up, wake up,
Wake up, wake up, wake up,
It’s your brand new day!
Wake up, wake up, wake up,
Wake up, wake up, wake up,
Let’s go it’s a brand new day!
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
"Well, there’s a lot of color."
By Michael Inbar
TODAY.com contributor
updated 3/21/2011 10:59:28 AM ET
After a burst appendix nearly cost 4-year-old Colton Burpo his life in 2003, his parents were thankful just to have him alive and well. But when he opened up about his brush with death a few months later, they were shocked when he described a very vivid trip to heaven, and spoke of matters about which he had no apparent way of knowing.
During an automobile trip, when Sonja Burpo asked him about his memories of being in the hospital, little Colton replied: “Yes, Mommy, I remember — that’s where the angels sang to me.” A sweet answer, to be sure — but then Colton made his parents’ jaws drop when he told them about sitting in Jesus’ lap, watching his parents while he lay seemingly near death, and meeting his great-grandfather.
But most poignantly, Colton described meeting a sibling in heaven — even though he had no way of knowing that his mother had miscarried two years before he was born, since his parents had never told him.
Jesus and John the Baptist
Todd Burpo began telling of his son’s heaven-sent visions from the pulpit of the Crossroads Wesleyan Church in Imperial, Neb., where he serves as pastor. Word of mouth spread, and the family landed a book deal. The book — “Heaven Is for Real,” written by Todd with co-writer Lynn Vincent — has become a best-seller, with some 1.5 million copies in print since its release in November.
Appearing live on TODAY Monday with Sonja and Colton, who’s now 11, Todd told Matt Lauer he understands that naysayers may believe Colton’s story is a little too heavenly to be true — initially, so did he and Sonja. “At first we were surprised; we never anticipated to talk to our son about these things,” Todd told Matt Lauer.
“We didn’t share at first, and then once we started sharing, people were amazed,” Sonja Burpo added. “They were encouraged by what we were sharing with them.”
Colton was stricken with appendicitis shortly before his fourth birthday. Family guilt was heavy — for five days he lay getting sicker and sicker with what the family believed was stomach flu, which had previously hit Colton’s older sister Cassie.
Little Colton nearly didn’t make it: He lay in a hospital bed for 17 days. When he finally rallied, the family rejoiced — but they were floored when, months later, the boy began matter-of-factly describing what he had experienced when he was in between life and death: seeing Jesus dressed in royal purple, meeting John the Baptist, having angels sing to him to ease his anxiety.
The Burpos believed these were things Colton could have gleaned from his Bible studies. But he also told his mother he saw her talking on the phone in another room while he was having surgery, and saw his father praying in a small room, all while he was seated in Jesus’ lap.
“What caught my attention was he could tell me where I was while he was in surgery,” Todd told Lauer. “The surgeon couldn’t tell me that, the nurses couldn’t, my wife couldn’t tell me where I was praying. But he could tell me.”
Shocking revelation
Colton also spoke of meeting a long-departed relative in heaven, telling NBC News: “I was just sitting by the Holy Spirit and then this guy comes up to me and says, ‘Are you Todd’s son?’ I say yes, and he says, ‘Well, I’m his grandfather.’ ”
Colton said that everyone in heaven has wings. On Monday, he described his great-grandfather “Pops” as being “very big, huge wings, curly hair, a big smile, and he was very nice.”
But the real shocker came when Colton told his mother, “Mommy, I have two sisters.” Sonja told her son that he had to be referring to his oldest sister, Cassie, and his cousin Traci, but he responded: “No — I have two sisters. You had a baby die in your tummy, didn’t you?”
Sonja told Lauer the family had never uttered a word about the miscarriage to Colton — and what’s more, they never even learned the sex of their miscarried child. “It was a private hurt that we didn’t even share with our friends,” Sonja said, adding Colton’s revelation was at first “shocking, but then a relief that she’s OK, which we didn’t know she was a she.”
In a subsequent TODAY segment Monday, Sonja filled in Colton’s description of his meeting with his sister: “He told us what she looked like, and she wouldn’t stop hugging him. And she doesn’t have a name.”
“When he told us about his sister in heaven, that we hadn’t told him about, [it was] another one of those ‘holy cow’ moments — OK, he can’t make this stuff up, he can’t invent this; no memory was planted,” Todd told Lauer. “But the peace that came over us, and the healing, like, ‘Wow, I have a daughter in heaven waiting for me’ — I think a lot of people need that type of hope and healing, too. And I think that’s what a lot of people are finding when they hear Colton’s testimony, to know what they have to look forward to.”
When Lauer asked Colton what heaven looked like, the 11-year-old replied, “Well, there’s a lot of color. There are a lot of people and a lot of angels.”
In his second segment later on Monday, Colton gave Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb some additional details — such as the fact that there are no old people in heaven. “Nobody wears glasses, [and] you’re in like your 20s, 30s.”
Todd Burpo told The New York Times that the family is donating much of the money they make from the book sales. As for Colton, he’s mostly happy his story is helping people.
“People are getting blessed, and they’re going to have healing from their hurts,” the boy told the New York Times. “I’m happy for that.”
---------------------------
Would this even be a money-making scheme if someone is willing to have given away book sales money?
TODAY.com contributor
updated 3/21/2011 10:59:28 AM ET
After a burst appendix nearly cost 4-year-old Colton Burpo his life in 2003, his parents were thankful just to have him alive and well. But when he opened up about his brush with death a few months later, they were shocked when he described a very vivid trip to heaven, and spoke of matters about which he had no apparent way of knowing.
During an automobile trip, when Sonja Burpo asked him about his memories of being in the hospital, little Colton replied: “Yes, Mommy, I remember — that’s where the angels sang to me.” A sweet answer, to be sure — but then Colton made his parents’ jaws drop when he told them about sitting in Jesus’ lap, watching his parents while he lay seemingly near death, and meeting his great-grandfather.
But most poignantly, Colton described meeting a sibling in heaven — even though he had no way of knowing that his mother had miscarried two years before he was born, since his parents had never told him.
Jesus and John the Baptist
Todd Burpo began telling of his son’s heaven-sent visions from the pulpit of the Crossroads Wesleyan Church in Imperial, Neb., where he serves as pastor. Word of mouth spread, and the family landed a book deal. The book — “Heaven Is for Real,” written by Todd with co-writer Lynn Vincent — has become a best-seller, with some 1.5 million copies in print since its release in November.
Appearing live on TODAY Monday with Sonja and Colton, who’s now 11, Todd told Matt Lauer he understands that naysayers may believe Colton’s story is a little too heavenly to be true — initially, so did he and Sonja. “At first we were surprised; we never anticipated to talk to our son about these things,” Todd told Matt Lauer.
“We didn’t share at first, and then once we started sharing, people were amazed,” Sonja Burpo added. “They were encouraged by what we were sharing with them.”
Colton was stricken with appendicitis shortly before his fourth birthday. Family guilt was heavy — for five days he lay getting sicker and sicker with what the family believed was stomach flu, which had previously hit Colton’s older sister Cassie.
Little Colton nearly didn’t make it: He lay in a hospital bed for 17 days. When he finally rallied, the family rejoiced — but they were floored when, months later, the boy began matter-of-factly describing what he had experienced when he was in between life and death: seeing Jesus dressed in royal purple, meeting John the Baptist, having angels sing to him to ease his anxiety.
The Burpos believed these were things Colton could have gleaned from his Bible studies. But he also told his mother he saw her talking on the phone in another room while he was having surgery, and saw his father praying in a small room, all while he was seated in Jesus’ lap.
“What caught my attention was he could tell me where I was while he was in surgery,” Todd told Lauer. “The surgeon couldn’t tell me that, the nurses couldn’t, my wife couldn’t tell me where I was praying. But he could tell me.”
Shocking revelation
Colton also spoke of meeting a long-departed relative in heaven, telling NBC News: “I was just sitting by the Holy Spirit and then this guy comes up to me and says, ‘Are you Todd’s son?’ I say yes, and he says, ‘Well, I’m his grandfather.’ ”
Colton said that everyone in heaven has wings. On Monday, he described his great-grandfather “Pops” as being “very big, huge wings, curly hair, a big smile, and he was very nice.”
But the real shocker came when Colton told his mother, “Mommy, I have two sisters.” Sonja told her son that he had to be referring to his oldest sister, Cassie, and his cousin Traci, but he responded: “No — I have two sisters. You had a baby die in your tummy, didn’t you?”
Sonja told Lauer the family had never uttered a word about the miscarriage to Colton — and what’s more, they never even learned the sex of their miscarried child. “It was a private hurt that we didn’t even share with our friends,” Sonja said, adding Colton’s revelation was at first “shocking, but then a relief that she’s OK, which we didn’t know she was a she.”
In a subsequent TODAY segment Monday, Sonja filled in Colton’s description of his meeting with his sister: “He told us what she looked like, and she wouldn’t stop hugging him. And she doesn’t have a name.”
“When he told us about his sister in heaven, that we hadn’t told him about, [it was] another one of those ‘holy cow’ moments — OK, he can’t make this stuff up, he can’t invent this; no memory was planted,” Todd told Lauer. “But the peace that came over us, and the healing, like, ‘Wow, I have a daughter in heaven waiting for me’ — I think a lot of people need that type of hope and healing, too. And I think that’s what a lot of people are finding when they hear Colton’s testimony, to know what they have to look forward to.”
When Lauer asked Colton what heaven looked like, the 11-year-old replied, “Well, there’s a lot of color. There are a lot of people and a lot of angels.”
In his second segment later on Monday, Colton gave Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb some additional details — such as the fact that there are no old people in heaven. “Nobody wears glasses, [and] you’re in like your 20s, 30s.”
Todd Burpo told The New York Times that the family is donating much of the money they make from the book sales. As for Colton, he’s mostly happy his story is helping people.
“People are getting blessed, and they’re going to have healing from their hurts,” the boy told the New York Times. “I’m happy for that.”
---------------------------
Would this even be a money-making scheme if someone is willing to have given away book sales money?
Monday, August 22, 2011
It is Furious
I am feeling more and more..
"His love is deep, His love is wide and it covers us.
His love is fierce, His love is strong and it is furious.
His love is sweet, His love is wild, and it's waking hearts to life." - Jeremy Riddle, Bethel Church
Eph 3:14-19
PM:
"I had a huge congregation for 20 years. Thousands of people came. I was successful, I was doing well with my strength.. But God had to bring me to my knees. The big event we conducted faced a huge storm, I fell from the roof and hurt my arm, my father-in-law came to help and died.. I heeded God's call and here, we came to San Francisco. I have been here for 10 years and now, we are a force to be reckon with."
- introducing his first move to C3 San Francisco and the wake of C3 Fairfield and C3 San Jose
Jay:
"These are kids from the Project, from the streets. They are tough. They have seen their own parents get shot and died right in front of their own eyes.. They are in gangs and they need the Spirit. Because the Spirit is Freedom. They need to be freed."
- introducing to his ministry as a youth pastor
PG:
"The Bay Area is one of the most unsaved regions in the United States. It used to be the North Pacific, Seattle region. But no more. Less than 10% are Christians who even go to Church and even more than 10% unemployment rate. (national average is 10%)"
- introducing the plans to build 30 more C3 churches in the Bay Area
Gary:
"I have been inviting people to come. I have put up "reserved" seats week after week. But they never come. But I am standing in faith for you, brother. The day will come, I will help put up "reserved" seats for you! They will come!"
- Church floor manager
------------------
God, teach me to more compassionate and love more like them.
Your love is truly, Furious.
"His love is deep, His love is wide and it covers us.
His love is fierce, His love is strong and it is furious.
His love is sweet, His love is wild, and it's waking hearts to life." - Jeremy Riddle, Bethel Church
Eph 3:14-19
PM:
"I had a huge congregation for 20 years. Thousands of people came. I was successful, I was doing well with my strength.. But God had to bring me to my knees. The big event we conducted faced a huge storm, I fell from the roof and hurt my arm, my father-in-law came to help and died.. I heeded God's call and here, we came to San Francisco. I have been here for 10 years and now, we are a force to be reckon with."
- introducing his first move to C3 San Francisco and the wake of C3 Fairfield and C3 San Jose
Jay:
"These are kids from the Project, from the streets. They are tough. They have seen their own parents get shot and died right in front of their own eyes.. They are in gangs and they need the Spirit. Because the Spirit is Freedom. They need to be freed."
- introducing to his ministry as a youth pastor
PG:
"The Bay Area is one of the most unsaved regions in the United States. It used to be the North Pacific, Seattle region. But no more. Less than 10% are Christians who even go to Church and even more than 10% unemployment rate. (national average is 10%)"
- introducing the plans to build 30 more C3 churches in the Bay Area
Gary:
"I have been inviting people to come. I have put up "reserved" seats week after week. But they never come. But I am standing in faith for you, brother. The day will come, I will help put up "reserved" seats for you! They will come!"
- Church floor manager
------------------
God, teach me to more compassionate and love more like them.
Your love is truly, Furious.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
But Love is not a victory march, it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
i heard there was a secret chord
that david played and it pleased the lord
but you don't really care for music, do you
well it goes like this the fourth, the fifth
the minor fall and the major lift
the baffled king composing hallelujah
hallelujah...
well your faith was strong but you needed proof
you saw her bathing on the roof
her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
she tied you to her kitchen chair
she broke your throne and she cut your hair
and from your lips she drew the hallelujah
hallelujah...
baby i've been here before
i've seen this room and i've walked this floor
i used to live alone before i knew you
i've seen your flag on the marble arch
but love is not a victory march
it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah
hallelujah...
well there was a time when you let me know
what's really going on below
but now you never show that to me do you
but remember when i moved in you
and the holy dove was moving too
and every breath we drew was hallelujah
well, maybe there's a god above
but all i've ever learned from love
was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you
it's not a cry that you hear at night
it's not somebody who's seen the light
it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah
hallelujah...
"Hallelujah" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, originally released on his studio album Various Positions (1984). Achieving little initial success, the song found greater popular acclaim through a cover by John Cale, which later formed the basis for a cover by Jeff Buckley. In recent years several cover versions have been performed by a large number and broad range of artists, both in recordings and in concert.
"Hallelujah", in its original version, is a song in "12/8 feel", which evokes the styles of both waltz and gospel music. Written in the key of C major, the chord progression follows the lyric "it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, and the major lift": C, F, G, A minor, F.
--------------------
In 2004, Buckley's version was ranked number 259 on Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". The same year Time called Buckley's version "exquisitely sung," observing "Cohen murmured the original like a dirge, but ... Buckley treated the ... song like a tiny capsule of humanity, using his voice to careen between glory and sadness, beauty and pain... It's one of the great songs."
In September 2007, a poll of fifty songwriters conducted by the magazine Q listed "Hallelujah" among the all-time "Top 10 Greatest Tracks" with John Legend calling Buckley's version "as near perfect as you can get. The lyrics to Hallelujah are just incredible and the melody's gorgeous and then there's Jeff's interpretation of it. It's one of the most beautiful pieces of recorded music I’ve ever heard." In July 2009, the Buckley track was ranked number three on the 2009 Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time, a listener poll held every decade by the Australian radio station Triple J."
Still, Buckley's version was not an instant hit, nor did Buckley live to see the full measure of the reception his recording would ultimately have; he died in 1997. The album on which it appeared did not go Gold in the U.S. until 2002, nine years after its release. In fact, like Cohen's original, the Buckley version was never officially released as a single, and the singer's cover first charted posthumously in 2006. In March of that year, Buckley had his first national Top 10 bestseller when "Hallelujah" went to number seven in Norway. In 2007 it made the top 3 on the Swedish charts. In March 2008 it hit number one in France. In April 2008 it topped Billboard's Hot Digital Songs in the U.S., where the sudden resurgence of interest catapulted Buckley's version past both Gold and Platinum status, the RIAA certifying the digital track on April 22, 2008.
The Buckley version has been widely featured in film and television dramas, including the series The West Wing, House MD, Crossing Jordan, Without a Trace, The O.C., Scrubs, House, Dirt, Criminal Minds, ER, Third Watch, Ugly Betty and LAX, and the films Feast of Love, The Edukators, Vinterkyss and Lord of War.[citation needed] "Hallelujah can be joyous or bittersweet, depending on what part of it you use", Time quoted the late Buckley's publisher as saying of the track, and the magazine opined that its liberal use in some cases was "a tacit admission that neither the writers nor the actors could convey their characters' emotions as well as Buckley."
--------------------
In 2005, "Hallelujah" was named the tenth-greatest Canadian song of all time in Chart magazine's annual readers' poll. The BBC commemorated the 25th anniversary of the first recording with an hour-long radio documentary, The Fourth, The Fifth, The Minor Fall, in which the song's history and numerous cover versions were presented and discussed.
On 21 December 2008, "Hallelujah" became the first song in 51 years to occupy the first and second positions on the UK Singles Chart; The X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke's and American singer Jeff Buckley's covers were the two highest-selling songs in the week beginning 15 December 2008. Leonard Cohen's version attained the number 36 spot in the same chart.
In the February 2009 issue of Blender, "Hallelujah" was featured as that month's "Greatest Song Ever" (a monthly feature).
--------------------
Brother John's story made me understand the real meaning of Hallelujah.
Love is not a victory march and not somebody who's seen the Light.
It is cold and a broken Hallelujah.
It is about pressing in.
"In the Hebrew Bible hallelujah is actually a two-word phrase, not one word. The first part, hallelu, is the second-person imperative masculine plural form of the Hebrew verb hallal. However, "hallelujah" means more than simply "praise Yah", as the word hallel in Hebrew means a joyous praise in song, to boast in God. Hallel could also refer to someone who acts madly or foolishly.
The second part, Yah, is a shortened form of YHWH, the name for the Creator. This name is not pronounced by Jews, as they are not permitted to speak the name of God, and in any case the correct pronunciation is not known. However, it is sometimes rendered by Christians as "Yahweh" or "Jehovah". Although the Septuagint translates Yah as Kyrios (the Lord), it is not the title "lord".
In Psalm 150:6 the Hebrew reads kol han'shamah t'hallel yah; It appears in the Hebrew Bible as הללו~יה and הללו יה. In Psalm 148:1 the Hebrew says "הללו יה hallelu yah". It then says "hallelu eth-YHWH" as if using "yah" and "YHWH" interchangeably. The word "Yah" appears by itself as a divine name in poetry about 49 times in the Hebrew Bible (including hallelu yah), such as in Psalm 68:4–5 "who rides upon the deserts by his name Yah" and Exodus 15:2 "Yah is my strength and song". It also often appears at the end of Israelite theophoric names such as Isaiah "yeshayah(u), Yahweh is salvation" and Jeremiah "yirmeyah(u), Yahweh is exalted".
The word hallelujah occurring in Psalms is therefore a request for a congregation to join in praise toward God. It can be translated as "Praise God" or "Praise Yahweh, you people", and is usually worded in English contexts as "Praise the Lord".
"Hallelujah" appears in Revelation 19 in Greek transliteration as "hallelouia" (ἁλληλουϊά), the great song of praise to God for his triumph over the Whore of Babylon. This transliteration also appears in the Septuagint."
You can only request when there is no reason to do so.
Brother John did that.
"fried fish and French fries"
"There are shootings every other day..
I hate to admit it that I am becoming desensitized, to knowing that everyday there is a shooting, while there is someone who is killed or hurt everyday."
I am in a different world.
OAKLAND, Calif. -- A man who was shot while feeding the homeless with his family in East Oakland early Wednesday morning has succumbed to his injuries, a police spokeswoman said.
Police responded to the 1000 block of 47th Avenue at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday after someone flagged down a California Highway Patrol officer to report the shooting, Oakland police Sgt. Holly Joshi said.
Officers found the man and his wife suffering from gunshot wounds, and they were taken to a hospital. The woman's injuries were minor but the man died at the hospital, Joshi said today.
Police have not released his name, but published reports state that he was known in the neighborhood as "Brother John," and that he often fed the homeless. Joshi said the couple and their two young children had been handing out food to people in the area and had pulled over to the side of the road.
An unknown suspect then pulled up alongside them and began shooting, Joshi said.
"It is a case of mistaken gang-wars, drug abuse, anger, unfairness."
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The only way police can describe it is a "senseless act." A man is clinging to life after being shot in the head while feeding the homeless in East Oakland early Wednesday morning.
It's not looking good. Police call these life threatening injuries. The man is on life support at a hospital in Oakland and homicide investigators are on this case. In addition to the man's wife being shot, a police source tells ABC7 one of the man's young daughters was also struck by a bullet. She and her mom are both expected to survive.
He is known simply as Brother John and just about everyone in the area knows him. At least once a week, Brother John, his wife and their two young daughters pass out home-cooked meals to East Oakland's homeless.
"He stops right in the middle of the road and gives you some food," Tony said.
"He came out here and fed us last night -- fried fish and French fries," Roxanne said.
That fish meal served in the shadow of the BART tracks and out of the back of Brother John's van on 47th Avenue may be his last and a man named Bill could be the last man he ever helped.
"He passed Brother John's van, he stopped and he backed up, then all of a sudden three shots, I ducked, then two more shots," Bill said.
The shooter fired into the van with 29-year-old Brother John and his family sitting inside.
Police do not have a motive for a shooting they can only describe as senseless.
"They were just trying to do a good deed and feed people that were less fortunate than they were," Oakland Police Offc. John Scott said.
And while everyone on these streets knows Brother John's name, few seem to know more about him than that.
Except Bill, who has called these streets home for more than 20 years. Once Brother John looked for help from the one person he was there to serve.
"One time he was going to stop because he said, 'You know, Bill, I don't think people appreciate what I do for them,' I said, 'Brother John, as long as one person appreciates what you do for them, that's good,'" Bill asid.
Wednesday, there was nothing but appreciation for Brother John and the kindness he showed for those who don't often get it -- appreciation and anger.
"That man don't have an enemy; it was a senseless killing," Bill said.
Police are not releasing Brother John's identity for his safety. The witness, Bill, says the shooter was alone in an older model turquoise Astro van. There is a $25,000 reward for an arrest in the case.
--------------------
The East Coast–West Coast Hip Hop Rivalry was a feud in the early-mid 1990s between artists and fans of the East Coast and West Coast hip-hop scenes. Seeming focal points of the feud were East Coast-based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. (and his label, Bad Boy Records), and West Coast-based rapper 2Pac (and his label, Death Row Records), both of whom were murdered.
The Notorious B.I.G.
Born in St. Mary's Hospital, despite later claiming to be raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, Wallace grew up in neighboring Clinton Hill. Wallace was the only child of Voletta Wallace, a Jamaican preschool teacher, and George Latore, a welder and small-time Jamaican politician. His father left the family when Wallace was two years old, leaving his mother to work two jobs while raising him. At the Queen of All Saints Middle School, Wallace excelled in class, winning several awards as an English student. He was nicknamed "Big" because of his size before he turned 10. At the age of 12, he began selling drugs. His mother, often away at work, did not know that her son was selling drugs until Wallace was an adult.
2Pac
Shakur was a voracious reader. He was inspired by a wide variety of writers, including William Shakespeare, Niccolò Machiavelli, Donald Goines, Sun Tzu, Kurt Vonnegut, Mikhail Bakunin, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, and Khalil Gibran. In his book, Dyson describes the experience of visiting the home of Shakur's friend and promoter Leila Steinberg to find "the sea of books" once owned by Shakur.
Shakur never professed following a particular religion, but his lyrics in singles such as 'Only God Can Judge Me' and poems such as The Rose That Grew from Concrete suggests he believed in God. This means many analysts currently describe him as a deist. He believed in Karma, but rejected a literal afterlife and organized religion.
-----------------------------
The Rose that Grew from Concrete
Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature's law is wrong it
learned to walk with out having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping it's dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared.
Tupac Shakur
I hate to admit it that I am becoming desensitized, to knowing that everyday there is a shooting, while there is someone who is killed or hurt everyday."
I am in a different world.
OAKLAND, Calif. -- A man who was shot while feeding the homeless with his family in East Oakland early Wednesday morning has succumbed to his injuries, a police spokeswoman said.
Police responded to the 1000 block of 47th Avenue at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday after someone flagged down a California Highway Patrol officer to report the shooting, Oakland police Sgt. Holly Joshi said.
Officers found the man and his wife suffering from gunshot wounds, and they were taken to a hospital. The woman's injuries were minor but the man died at the hospital, Joshi said today.
Police have not released his name, but published reports state that he was known in the neighborhood as "Brother John," and that he often fed the homeless. Joshi said the couple and their two young children had been handing out food to people in the area and had pulled over to the side of the road.
An unknown suspect then pulled up alongside them and began shooting, Joshi said.
"It is a case of mistaken gang-wars, drug abuse, anger, unfairness."
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The only way police can describe it is a "senseless act." A man is clinging to life after being shot in the head while feeding the homeless in East Oakland early Wednesday morning.
It's not looking good. Police call these life threatening injuries. The man is on life support at a hospital in Oakland and homicide investigators are on this case. In addition to the man's wife being shot, a police source tells ABC7 one of the man's young daughters was also struck by a bullet. She and her mom are both expected to survive.
He is known simply as Brother John and just about everyone in the area knows him. At least once a week, Brother John, his wife and their two young daughters pass out home-cooked meals to East Oakland's homeless.
"He stops right in the middle of the road and gives you some food," Tony said.
"He came out here and fed us last night -- fried fish and French fries," Roxanne said.
That fish meal served in the shadow of the BART tracks and out of the back of Brother John's van on 47th Avenue may be his last and a man named Bill could be the last man he ever helped.
"He passed Brother John's van, he stopped and he backed up, then all of a sudden three shots, I ducked, then two more shots," Bill said.
The shooter fired into the van with 29-year-old Brother John and his family sitting inside.
Police do not have a motive for a shooting they can only describe as senseless.
"They were just trying to do a good deed and feed people that were less fortunate than they were," Oakland Police Offc. John Scott said.
And while everyone on these streets knows Brother John's name, few seem to know more about him than that.
Except Bill, who has called these streets home for more than 20 years. Once Brother John looked for help from the one person he was there to serve.
"One time he was going to stop because he said, 'You know, Bill, I don't think people appreciate what I do for them,' I said, 'Brother John, as long as one person appreciates what you do for them, that's good,'" Bill asid.
Wednesday, there was nothing but appreciation for Brother John and the kindness he showed for those who don't often get it -- appreciation and anger.
"That man don't have an enemy; it was a senseless killing," Bill said.
Police are not releasing Brother John's identity for his safety. The witness, Bill, says the shooter was alone in an older model turquoise Astro van. There is a $25,000 reward for an arrest in the case.
--------------------
The East Coast–West Coast Hip Hop Rivalry was a feud in the early-mid 1990s between artists and fans of the East Coast and West Coast hip-hop scenes. Seeming focal points of the feud were East Coast-based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. (and his label, Bad Boy Records), and West Coast-based rapper 2Pac (and his label, Death Row Records), both of whom were murdered.
The Notorious B.I.G.
Born in St. Mary's Hospital, despite later claiming to be raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, Wallace grew up in neighboring Clinton Hill. Wallace was the only child of Voletta Wallace, a Jamaican preschool teacher, and George Latore, a welder and small-time Jamaican politician. His father left the family when Wallace was two years old, leaving his mother to work two jobs while raising him. At the Queen of All Saints Middle School, Wallace excelled in class, winning several awards as an English student. He was nicknamed "Big" because of his size before he turned 10. At the age of 12, he began selling drugs. His mother, often away at work, did not know that her son was selling drugs until Wallace was an adult.
2Pac
Shakur was a voracious reader. He was inspired by a wide variety of writers, including William Shakespeare, Niccolò Machiavelli, Donald Goines, Sun Tzu, Kurt Vonnegut, Mikhail Bakunin, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, and Khalil Gibran. In his book, Dyson describes the experience of visiting the home of Shakur's friend and promoter Leila Steinberg to find "the sea of books" once owned by Shakur.
Shakur never professed following a particular religion, but his lyrics in singles such as 'Only God Can Judge Me' and poems such as The Rose That Grew from Concrete suggests he believed in God. This means many analysts currently describe him as a deist. He believed in Karma, but rejected a literal afterlife and organized religion.
-----------------------------
The Rose that Grew from Concrete
Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature's law is wrong it
learned to walk with out having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping it's dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared.
Tupac Shakur
Monday, July 11, 2011
Populate
I attended my first C3 SF service last Sunday and I was blown away..
Listening to Kate, Hannah, & Phil representing Freedom House on Freedom Sunday made me realized how grim the situation is.
Some of them have been abducted and enslaved for as much as 23 years..
14,500 - 17,5000 trafficking victims in US every year.
10-30M slaves in the world.
In 1809, a slave costs USD$40,000.
In 2010, a slave costs USD$90.
54% of trafficking victims were introduced by strangers.
46% of trafficking victims were introduced by own relatives.
More than 70% of victims are females.
50% are children.
"Some survivors need life skills training. For instance, survivors may need to learn how to use the public transportation system, access education, employment and social services or obtain appropriate government identification cards. Freedom House will provide a myriad of life skills training with the help of coaches. Instruction will include assistance with driving, shopping, use of public transportation, social outings and more."
- A Way Home -
"Survivors need to determine where to go after rescue. Regardless of their citizenship, they may not be able to return home. Domestic survivors may not be able to return home. Foreign survivors may choose to remain in this country or return to their home country. While they weigh difficult decisions, Freedom House will provide a sanctuary that will give them the space to understand their options and make the right decision."
I have been so accustomed to helping Depression. But for the first time, I am presented with a greater challenge: To help Oppression. How many of us can even say, we are able to help the oppressed?
Joseph was sold by his brothers.
The miracle was in him forgiving his brothers.
But the power of God is that he redeemed an entire oikos.
Freedom is a redeeming power. We cannot redeem the past, we can only redeem a future.
http://www.freedom-house.us.com/index.php
---------------------
Guess who led the rescue usually? Thy Neighbour! The whistle-blower!
"A place you can go after you are being rescued, it is not a physical home. You now realize that you are redeemed by God and through God." - Kate
"What is the difference between Church and non-profit organizations? It was inhumanely possible." - Kate
"God is always pursuing people" - PM
"Poverty is caused by injustice and selfishness!" - PM
"God has prepared a course.. for Freedom!" - PM
"With Character and Spirit, we populate the city to be infused with His Revelation." - PM
Listening to Kate, Hannah, & Phil representing Freedom House on Freedom Sunday made me realized how grim the situation is.
Some of them have been abducted and enslaved for as much as 23 years..
14,500 - 17,5000 trafficking victims in US every year.
10-30M slaves in the world.
In 1809, a slave costs USD$40,000.
In 2010, a slave costs USD$90.
54% of trafficking victims were introduced by strangers.
46% of trafficking victims were introduced by own relatives.
More than 70% of victims are females.
50% are children.
"Some survivors need life skills training. For instance, survivors may need to learn how to use the public transportation system, access education, employment and social services or obtain appropriate government identification cards. Freedom House will provide a myriad of life skills training with the help of coaches. Instruction will include assistance with driving, shopping, use of public transportation, social outings and more."
- A Way Home -
"Survivors need to determine where to go after rescue. Regardless of their citizenship, they may not be able to return home. Domestic survivors may not be able to return home. Foreign survivors may choose to remain in this country or return to their home country. While they weigh difficult decisions, Freedom House will provide a sanctuary that will give them the space to understand their options and make the right decision."
I have been so accustomed to helping Depression. But for the first time, I am presented with a greater challenge: To help Oppression. How many of us can even say, we are able to help the oppressed?
Joseph was sold by his brothers.
The miracle was in him forgiving his brothers.
But the power of God is that he redeemed an entire oikos.
Freedom is a redeeming power. We cannot redeem the past, we can only redeem a future.
http://www.freedom-house.us.com/index.php
---------------------
Guess who led the rescue usually? Thy Neighbour! The whistle-blower!
"A place you can go after you are being rescued, it is not a physical home. You now realize that you are redeemed by God and through God." - Kate
"What is the difference between Church and non-profit organizations? It was inhumanely possible." - Kate
"God is always pursuing people" - PM
"Poverty is caused by injustice and selfishness!" - PM
"God has prepared a course.. for Freedom!" - PM
"With Character and Spirit, we populate the city to be infused with His Revelation." - PM
Friday, May 13, 2011
God really seems most like He doesn't care when He knows most what He cares.
I totally attest to my last post..
"God seems most like He doesn't care when He knows most what He cares." - cranberries_empty
Did you know that the value of the Dead Seas Scrolls and the Damascus Letters were virtualized only when the owners decided to auction them?
The Word of God was auctioned.
Jesus was auctioned.
"The Bedouin first took the scrolls to a dealer named Ibrahim 'Ijha in Bethlehem. 'Ijha returned them, saying they were worthless, after being warned that they might have been stolen from a synagogue. Undaunted, the Bedouin went to a nearby market, where a Syrian Christian offered to buy them. A sheikh joined their conversation and suggested they take the scrolls to Khalil Eskander Shahin, "Kando," a cobbler and part-time antiques dealer. The Bedouin and the dealers returned to the site, leaving one scroll with Kando and selling three others to a dealer for £7 GBP ($29 in 2003 US dollars)."
God really seems most like He doesn't care when He knows most what He cares.
Don't give up.
Don't spend one minute thinking that He doesn't care. He is willing to lower His word so that we can approach Him.
"The Older I Get" - Skillet
The walls between
You and I
Always pushing us apart nothing left but scars fight after fight
The space between
Our calm and rage
started growing shorter , disappearing slowly day after day
I was sitting there waiting in my room for you
You were waiting for me too
And it makes me wonder
The older I get
Will I get over it
It's been way too long for the times we missed
I didn't know then it would hurt like this but I think
The older I get
Maybe I'll get over it
It's been way too long for the times we missed
I can't believe it still hurts like this
The time between
Those cutting words
Built up our defenses never made no sense it just made me hurt
Do you believe
That time heals all wounds
It started getting better but it's easy not to fight when I'm not with you
What was I waiting for
I should've taken less and given you more
I should've weathered the storm
I need to say so bad
What were you waiting for
This could have been the best we ever had
[Altro:]
I'm just getting older
I'm not getting over you I'm trying to
I wish it didn't hurt like this
It's been way too long for the times we missed
I can't believe it still hurts like this
"God seems most like He doesn't care when He knows most what He cares." - cranberries_empty
Did you know that the value of the Dead Seas Scrolls and the Damascus Letters were virtualized only when the owners decided to auction them?
The Word of God was auctioned.
Jesus was auctioned.
"The Bedouin first took the scrolls to a dealer named Ibrahim 'Ijha in Bethlehem. 'Ijha returned them, saying they were worthless, after being warned that they might have been stolen from a synagogue. Undaunted, the Bedouin went to a nearby market, where a Syrian Christian offered to buy them. A sheikh joined their conversation and suggested they take the scrolls to Khalil Eskander Shahin, "Kando," a cobbler and part-time antiques dealer. The Bedouin and the dealers returned to the site, leaving one scroll with Kando and selling three others to a dealer for £7 GBP ($29 in 2003 US dollars)."
God really seems most like He doesn't care when He knows most what He cares.
Don't give up.
Don't spend one minute thinking that He doesn't care. He is willing to lower His word so that we can approach Him.
"The Older I Get" - Skillet
The walls between
You and I
Always pushing us apart nothing left but scars fight after fight
The space between
Our calm and rage
started growing shorter , disappearing slowly day after day
I was sitting there waiting in my room for you
You were waiting for me too
And it makes me wonder
The older I get
Will I get over it
It's been way too long for the times we missed
I didn't know then it would hurt like this but I think
The older I get
Maybe I'll get over it
It's been way too long for the times we missed
I can't believe it still hurts like this
The time between
Those cutting words
Built up our defenses never made no sense it just made me hurt
Do you believe
That time heals all wounds
It started getting better but it's easy not to fight when I'm not with you
What was I waiting for
I should've taken less and given you more
I should've weathered the storm
I need to say so bad
What were you waiting for
This could have been the best we ever had
[Altro:]
I'm just getting older
I'm not getting over you I'm trying to
I wish it didn't hurt like this
It's been way too long for the times we missed
I can't believe it still hurts like this
God's like "I don't care"
We need more people like them.. In the end, it is all about second chances..
The Last Night is the fourth single of the Christian Rock Band Skillet's seventh full-length album. The song has become a fan favorite for its strong anti-suicide themes and went on to peak at #38 on the Mainstream Rock charts and #16 the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart. R&R magazine counted it as the #1 most played song on Christian CHR Radio stations in 2007.
John Cooper has said that "I just started thinking about how these kids are hurting so badly and that maybe I could sing a song that they can relate to." Korey has stated that one of the most shocking things to the band as they were touring was the number of fans who admitted to them that they were cutters or suffered from depression and so they wrote the song to tell people that they were not alone in their struggles.
"Rebirthing" is a song by the Christian rock band Skillet, and it is the first single off their seventh album Comatose. The song has achieved a large amount of popularity in both the mainstream and Christian radio. The song was #1 on ChristianRock.Net's Weekly Top 30 for sixteen straight weeks, #3 on their Annual Top 100, and was the most requested song of the year in 2006. The song also charted at #9 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart.
John Cooper explained the meaning of the song to theskilletsizzle.com; "in the end, it's just a song about second chances and I think we're living in a time now where a lot of people don't think that they deserve a second chance. You know, whether that's a second chance at life, or at a relationship, or when they think they've screwed something up too bad. And in this song it's basically saying it's never too late to start all over again, it's a message of hope and a lot of people aren't feeling very hopeful these days in our world."
John Cooper has stated on numerous occasions that he was born and raised in a very religious family and atmosphere. "You couldn't wear black, you couldn't listen to anything with drums, anything with guitars, you couldn't have long hair, you couldn't do this and you couldn't do that. Everything was so lifeless. I know I'd read the Bible and be like...'This isn't what the Bible says. I like the idea of living for Jesus, but I hate the idea of living for you.' Ya know?" (Creation Festival 2010, YLO Interview)
During a 2010 Creation Festival YLO Interview, John revealed that "early on, we decided we would never have kids on the road. We were not going to do it. And then God spoke to us later, just showing that God can change our minds, right? So then God starts speaking to me about kids, and I was like "Really? But we made a decision NOT to do it." and God's like "I don't care." So...that's how that happened! It was a big shock, because we were really against that, but then again we didn't know that Skillet would be going this long. I didn't know that I'd be 35 and still doing this."
"What is number one in your life are your second chances in life." - cranberries_empty
"God seems most like He doesn't care when He knows most what He cares." - cranberries_empty
The Last Night is the fourth single of the Christian Rock Band Skillet's seventh full-length album. The song has become a fan favorite for its strong anti-suicide themes and went on to peak at #38 on the Mainstream Rock charts and #16 the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart. R&R magazine counted it as the #1 most played song on Christian CHR Radio stations in 2007.
John Cooper has said that "I just started thinking about how these kids are hurting so badly and that maybe I could sing a song that they can relate to." Korey has stated that one of the most shocking things to the band as they were touring was the number of fans who admitted to them that they were cutters or suffered from depression and so they wrote the song to tell people that they were not alone in their struggles.
"Rebirthing" is a song by the Christian rock band Skillet, and it is the first single off their seventh album Comatose. The song has achieved a large amount of popularity in both the mainstream and Christian radio. The song was #1 on ChristianRock.Net's Weekly Top 30 for sixteen straight weeks, #3 on their Annual Top 100, and was the most requested song of the year in 2006. The song also charted at #9 on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart.
John Cooper explained the meaning of the song to theskilletsizzle.com; "in the end, it's just a song about second chances and I think we're living in a time now where a lot of people don't think that they deserve a second chance. You know, whether that's a second chance at life, or at a relationship, or when they think they've screwed something up too bad. And in this song it's basically saying it's never too late to start all over again, it's a message of hope and a lot of people aren't feeling very hopeful these days in our world."
John Cooper has stated on numerous occasions that he was born and raised in a very religious family and atmosphere. "You couldn't wear black, you couldn't listen to anything with drums, anything with guitars, you couldn't have long hair, you couldn't do this and you couldn't do that. Everything was so lifeless. I know I'd read the Bible and be like...'This isn't what the Bible says. I like the idea of living for Jesus, but I hate the idea of living for you.' Ya know?" (Creation Festival 2010, YLO Interview)
During a 2010 Creation Festival YLO Interview, John revealed that "early on, we decided we would never have kids on the road. We were not going to do it. And then God spoke to us later, just showing that God can change our minds, right? So then God starts speaking to me about kids, and I was like "Really? But we made a decision NOT to do it." and God's like "I don't care." So...that's how that happened! It was a big shock, because we were really against that, but then again we didn't know that Skillet would be going this long. I didn't know that I'd be 35 and still doing this."
"What is number one in your life are your second chances in life." - cranberries_empty
"God seems most like He doesn't care when He knows most what He cares." - cranberries_empty
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Integrity is always the easiest, the toughest, the shortest, the longest seed you can always demonstrate.
It's all about humanity, humility, and integrity. - Debra Wilson
With humanity, you get observation.
You can never identify with what you never gone through.
Like a God who chooses a Man status.
Admit it or not. God wants to save humanity. He identifies and then reveals the God-Man status as the solution.
But without becoming Man, there is no one way or the other.
With humility, you get resourcefulness.
You can never stretch if you never see your own lack.
Jesus didn't go around telling others that He was going to go perform miracles everyday.
Admit it or not. He just pull in from the Word and acted.
With integrity, you get a future.
Trust can only be built on integrity.
People get desperate and wicked-hearted when integrity is lost.
Admit or not.
"Integrity is always the easiest, the toughest, the smallest, the largest seed you can always demonstrate." - cranberriesempty
---------------------------
The elections are seriously lacking in these fields if only they knew.
They rallied one another for lack of observing the real problem.
They rallied one another for lack of resourcefulness.
They rallied one another for lack of future.
When actually, they need to build humanity.
When actually, they need to build humility.
When actually, they need to build integrity.
---------------------------
"Walk" - Foo Fighters
A million miles away
Your signal in the distance
To whom it may concern
I think I lost my way
Getting good at starting over
Every time that I return
I'm learning to walk again
I believe I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
I'm learning to talk again
Can't you see I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
Do you remember the days
We built these paper mountains
And sat and watched them burn
I think I found my place
Can't you feel it growing stronger
Little conqueror
I'm learning to walk again
I believe I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
I'm learning to talk again
I believe I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
Now
For the very first time
Don't you pay no mind
Set me free again
You keep alive a moment at a time
But still inside a whisper to a liar
To sacrifice but knowing to survive
The first to find another state of mind
I'm on my knees, I'm waiting for a sign
Forever, whenever
I never wanna die
I never wanna die
I never wanna die
I'm on my knees
I never wanna die
I'm dancing on my grave
I'm Running through the fire
Forever, whatever
I Never wanna die
I Never wanna leave
I'll Never say goodbye
Forever, whatever
Forever, Whatever
I'm learning to walk again
I believe I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
I'm learning to talk again
Can't you see I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
I'm learning to walk again
I believe I've waited long enough
I'm learning to talk again
Can't you see I've waited long enough
With humanity, you get observation.
You can never identify with what you never gone through.
Like a God who chooses a Man status.
Admit it or not. God wants to save humanity. He identifies and then reveals the God-Man status as the solution.
But without becoming Man, there is no one way or the other.
With humility, you get resourcefulness.
You can never stretch if you never see your own lack.
Jesus didn't go around telling others that He was going to go perform miracles everyday.
Admit it or not. He just pull in from the Word and acted.
With integrity, you get a future.
Trust can only be built on integrity.
People get desperate and wicked-hearted when integrity is lost.
Admit or not.
"Integrity is always the easiest, the toughest, the smallest, the largest seed you can always demonstrate." - cranberriesempty
---------------------------
The elections are seriously lacking in these fields if only they knew.
They rallied one another for lack of observing the real problem.
They rallied one another for lack of resourcefulness.
They rallied one another for lack of future.
When actually, they need to build humanity.
When actually, they need to build humility.
When actually, they need to build integrity.
---------------------------
"Walk" - Foo Fighters
A million miles away
Your signal in the distance
To whom it may concern
I think I lost my way
Getting good at starting over
Every time that I return
I'm learning to walk again
I believe I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
I'm learning to talk again
Can't you see I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
Do you remember the days
We built these paper mountains
And sat and watched them burn
I think I found my place
Can't you feel it growing stronger
Little conqueror
I'm learning to walk again
I believe I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
I'm learning to talk again
I believe I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
Now
For the very first time
Don't you pay no mind
Set me free again
You keep alive a moment at a time
But still inside a whisper to a liar
To sacrifice but knowing to survive
The first to find another state of mind
I'm on my knees, I'm waiting for a sign
Forever, whenever
I never wanna die
I never wanna die
I never wanna die
I'm on my knees
I never wanna die
I'm dancing on my grave
I'm Running through the fire
Forever, whatever
I Never wanna die
I Never wanna leave
I'll Never say goodbye
Forever, whatever
Forever, Whatever
I'm learning to walk again
I believe I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
I'm learning to talk again
Can't you see I've waited long enough
Where do I begin?
I'm learning to walk again
I believe I've waited long enough
I'm learning to talk again
Can't you see I've waited long enough
Monday, April 11, 2011
To God, proposition is a continuation. Unfailing is continuation.
"The first casualty when war comes, is truth." - Aeschylus Greek tragic dramatist (525 BC - 456 BC)
(Order)(object/person) (environment - opposition's reason)(proposition)
The first autopsy when surgery (to discover) comes in, is knowledge.
The first entry when concordance (to record) comes in, is experience.
The first word when composition (to make believe) comes in, is creation.
The first lie when Eden (to be fruitful) comes in, is absurd-some.
The first miracle when Jesus (to die for the lost) comes in, is reconciliation.
The first commandment when God (to represent judgement) comes in, is love.
Yet, the last commandment when John (to represent continuation) comes in, is love.
To human, it is order that we discover the value of our proposition by the presence of our opposition.
"To God, proposition is a continuation. Unfailing is continuation." - cranberries_empty
(Order)(object/person) (environment - opposition's reason)(proposition)
The first autopsy when surgery (to discover) comes in, is knowledge.
The first entry when concordance (to record) comes in, is experience.
The first word when composition (to make believe) comes in, is creation.
The first lie when Eden (to be fruitful) comes in, is absurd-some.
The first miracle when Jesus (to die for the lost) comes in, is reconciliation.
The first commandment when God (to represent judgement) comes in, is love.
Yet, the last commandment when John (to represent continuation) comes in, is love.
To human, it is order that we discover the value of our proposition by the presence of our opposition.
"To God, proposition is a continuation. Unfailing is continuation." - cranberries_empty
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
"I know I am not a hopeless case"
Classic Story for Second Chance..
I am really inspired..
When someone believes in you..
Altiyan's dad took him out of his forklifter job to his real calling.
What happens when a person 'connects'..
This was done without any rehearsals.
There is a difference when you begin to 'connect', no amount of rehearsals can accomplish one "connection's work".
"I know I am not a hopeless case"
What do you believe in?
What do you connect to?
I am really inspired..
When someone believes in you..
Altiyan's dad took him out of his forklifter job to his real calling.
What happens when a person 'connects'..
This was done without any rehearsals.
There is a difference when you begin to 'connect', no amount of rehearsals can accomplish one "connection's work".
"I know I am not a hopeless case"
What do you believe in?
What do you connect to?
Sunday, March 27, 2011
You Love Me Anyway
I burst on the inside.
This song is mind-blowing.
FIlled with spiritual truths.
------------------
You Love Me Anyway - Sidewalk Prophets
The question was raised
As my conscience fell
A silly, little lie
It didn’t mean much
But it lingers still
In the corners of my mind
Still you call me to walk
On the edge of this world
To spread my dreams and fly
But the future’s so far
My heart is so frail
I think I’d rather stay inside
But You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me
How You love me
It took all of my strength
To simply be still
To seek but never find
All the reasons we change
The reasons I doubt
And why do loved ones have to die?
But You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me
I am the thorn in Your crown
But You love me anyway
I am the sweat from Your brow
But You love me anyway
I am the nail in Your wrist
But You love me anyway
I am Judas’ kiss
But You love me anyway
See now, I am the man that yelled out from the crowd
For Your blood to be spilled on this earth shaking
ground
Yes then, I turned away with this smile on my face
With this sin in my heart tried to bury Your grace
And then alone in the night, I still called out for You
So ashamed of my life, my life, my life
But You love me anyway
Oh, God… how you love me
You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me
You love me, You love me
You love me, You love me
How You love me
How You love me
How You love me
This song is mind-blowing.
FIlled with spiritual truths.
------------------
You Love Me Anyway - Sidewalk Prophets
The question was raised
As my conscience fell
A silly, little lie
It didn’t mean much
But it lingers still
In the corners of my mind
Still you call me to walk
On the edge of this world
To spread my dreams and fly
But the future’s so far
My heart is so frail
I think I’d rather stay inside
But You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me
How You love me
It took all of my strength
To simply be still
To seek but never find
All the reasons we change
The reasons I doubt
And why do loved ones have to die?
But You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me
I am the thorn in Your crown
But You love me anyway
I am the sweat from Your brow
But You love me anyway
I am the nail in Your wrist
But You love me anyway
I am Judas’ kiss
But You love me anyway
See now, I am the man that yelled out from the crowd
For Your blood to be spilled on this earth shaking
ground
Yes then, I turned away with this smile on my face
With this sin in my heart tried to bury Your grace
And then alone in the night, I still called out for You
So ashamed of my life, my life, my life
But You love me anyway
Oh, God… how you love me
You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me
You love me, You love me
You love me, You love me
How You love me
How You love me
How You love me
Friday, March 25, 2011
It isn't Grace until you have a go with it.
"That is why a paradigm shift is required before someone can be safely and securely rooted in the traditional Faith and Church. The Vatican organization lacks all the requirements for visibility. It is not One but many in belief, "faith" and practice, it is not Holy, it is not Catholic, and it is not Apostolic. After Vatican II, the visible Church hierarchy consisted of those faithful clergy, priests and bishops, who refused to go along with the new religion, but who kept the Catholic religion. Vatican II explicitly shattered the former identity that had long existed between the Vatican institution and the visible Roman Catholic Church, deprived the Vatican of its former status, its leader of universal jurisdiction, and its membership of the guidance and protection by and of the Holy Ghost. At the same time, it granted jurisdiction to any and all bishops out there, regardless of who consecrated, them, or whether they did it with or without consulting the Vatican leader, or whether they answer to him in any way.
TJ and his ilk worry about a "parallel Church" or an "invisible Church," but that is only smoke and confusion. In the bright light of day, it is abundantly obvious that the present Vatican institution itself is the "schismatic parallel Church" (not actually quite parallel but skewed so as to start where the Church was and gradually drift off into error). Thus it redefined itself back at Vatican II, and thus it has behaved like ever since. The real Catholic Church has simply marched straight ahead, somewhat fragmented from the lack of real universal leadership, and from the confusion and misdirection spread by the redefined Vatican organization, but still plainly visible in its bishops, priests, religious, and attached lay Faithful, once one knows where to look.
It is like the child Jesus, when He was "lost" by His mother and St. Joseph and they had spent three days looking for Him. Was He invisible? Joseph and Mary couldn't see Him. But the rabbis they found Him conversing with, and anyone who had taken Him in during the intervening nights, obviously could see Him. He seemed "invisible" to none less than the sinless Virgin and the saintly foster father, not because he had turned "invisible" like the Invisible Man but merely because even they did not know where to look for Him. So it is with the Church today. His Mystical Body is still visible, but many still do not know where to look for it. The rabbis could see Him, and perhaps among them was a very young Gamaliel, who would later go on to instruct that "If it is of men, then leave it alone and it will come to nothing, but if it is of God you cannot overthrow it and worse, you would be fighting against God."
We are careful in all of our evaluations not to add fault where there is only so much actual fault, nor to hide fault where fault indeed has occurred. Most of all we cultivate an all-important sense of proportion.
For "seeing God" is not about having some vision of an old man wearing sandals, sitting on a cloud, and manipulating a bucketfull of thunderbolts. Seeing God is all about seeing God at work in the world today, and in our own personal lives. It is about learning to see Jesus in the person of the poor, the sick, the prisoner, and all other victims of corrupt societies. When Joseph and Mary carried the baby Jesus to the Temple for the Presentation, all the heedless milling crowds saw of them was a young couple with a cute baby. But Anna and Simeon saw their salvation when they saw the Christ Child. That is because they were pure in heart and that is what seeing God is really all about.
When impurity clouds over one's mind, they cannot see where the Church really is, namely in those faithful priests and bishops all around the world who have suffered much to sustain the true Faith and Sacraments and Tradition, but only what certain others want them to see. They only see the false picture presented by the media and repeated again and again like Hitler's "big lie." They think of the Vatican institution as still being the Church, not because it possesses any qualities whatsoever that the Church must always possess, but merely because so many jounalists, prelates, and other prominent and famous people pretend to see it so. After all, "Everybody believes it."
-- Taken from 'There, but for the Grace of God, go I'
By Griff Ruby
(http://www.the-pope.com/there.html)
---------------------------------------
After reading the above script, I was heavily impacted.
Just 2 weeks of not being able to hear church, meet church, I am having some withdrawal syndromes.
But it is not about a particular church that I am missing.
It is the Church I am missing.
I believe my intense feelings towards the Grace I have received is accompanying this.
It is when you have felt a Touch.
And now that you don't feel it, you feel the missing lingering.
When I feel Nothing, I begin to feel Everything.
"I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. - John 5:30
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
- Philippians 4:6
I am blessed that I am stuck in situation that I do not know where to find Him and not in a situation that I believing only my own initiative. I am glad that the Grace that I received is real and therefore, I am having withdrawal syndromes.
If you don't have withdrawal syndromes from Him, you haven't depend Him.
You cannot understand humility until you experience His Grace.
"It isn't Grace until you have a go with it." - cranberries_empty
TJ and his ilk worry about a "parallel Church" or an "invisible Church," but that is only smoke and confusion. In the bright light of day, it is abundantly obvious that the present Vatican institution itself is the "schismatic parallel Church" (not actually quite parallel but skewed so as to start where the Church was and gradually drift off into error). Thus it redefined itself back at Vatican II, and thus it has behaved like ever since. The real Catholic Church has simply marched straight ahead, somewhat fragmented from the lack of real universal leadership, and from the confusion and misdirection spread by the redefined Vatican organization, but still plainly visible in its bishops, priests, religious, and attached lay Faithful, once one knows where to look.
It is like the child Jesus, when He was "lost" by His mother and St. Joseph and they had spent three days looking for Him. Was He invisible? Joseph and Mary couldn't see Him. But the rabbis they found Him conversing with, and anyone who had taken Him in during the intervening nights, obviously could see Him. He seemed "invisible" to none less than the sinless Virgin and the saintly foster father, not because he had turned "invisible" like the Invisible Man but merely because even they did not know where to look for Him. So it is with the Church today. His Mystical Body is still visible, but many still do not know where to look for it. The rabbis could see Him, and perhaps among them was a very young Gamaliel, who would later go on to instruct that "If it is of men, then leave it alone and it will come to nothing, but if it is of God you cannot overthrow it and worse, you would be fighting against God."
We are careful in all of our evaluations not to add fault where there is only so much actual fault, nor to hide fault where fault indeed has occurred. Most of all we cultivate an all-important sense of proportion.
For "seeing God" is not about having some vision of an old man wearing sandals, sitting on a cloud, and manipulating a bucketfull of thunderbolts. Seeing God is all about seeing God at work in the world today, and in our own personal lives. It is about learning to see Jesus in the person of the poor, the sick, the prisoner, and all other victims of corrupt societies. When Joseph and Mary carried the baby Jesus to the Temple for the Presentation, all the heedless milling crowds saw of them was a young couple with a cute baby. But Anna and Simeon saw their salvation when they saw the Christ Child. That is because they were pure in heart and that is what seeing God is really all about.
When impurity clouds over one's mind, they cannot see where the Church really is, namely in those faithful priests and bishops all around the world who have suffered much to sustain the true Faith and Sacraments and Tradition, but only what certain others want them to see. They only see the false picture presented by the media and repeated again and again like Hitler's "big lie." They think of the Vatican institution as still being the Church, not because it possesses any qualities whatsoever that the Church must always possess, but merely because so many jounalists, prelates, and other prominent and famous people pretend to see it so. After all, "Everybody believes it."
-- Taken from 'There, but for the Grace of God, go I'
By Griff Ruby
(http://www.the-pope.com/there.html)
---------------------------------------
After reading the above script, I was heavily impacted.
Just 2 weeks of not being able to hear church, meet church, I am having some withdrawal syndromes.
But it is not about a particular church that I am missing.
It is the Church I am missing.
I believe my intense feelings towards the Grace I have received is accompanying this.
It is when you have felt a Touch.
And now that you don't feel it, you feel the missing lingering.
When I feel Nothing, I begin to feel Everything.
"I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. - John 5:30
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
- Philippians 4:6
I am blessed that I am stuck in situation that I do not know where to find Him and not in a situation that I believing only my own initiative. I am glad that the Grace that I received is real and therefore, I am having withdrawal syndromes.
If you don't have withdrawal syndromes from Him, you haven't depend Him.
You cannot understand humility until you experience His Grace.
"It isn't Grace until you have a go with it." - cranberries_empty
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Be strong
2 weeks into SF..
"Melvin, these are impressive datas!"
"Wow, I am impressed. Melvin gotten some highly valuable data for us."
"You came at the right time with the right technology."
"You are the first singaporean I met and I am impressed."
"You managed to get the same accurate spot all the time."
"Everyone is excited to have you here!"
------
"Melvin, I was most touched when you started thanking all your ex-leaders."
"You remembered all that!? Wow, you really impacted everyone."
"I always sit up when you are about to speak. It is always good to hear you speak."
-------
I am surrounded by some of the smartest brains in the world.
Surprisingly, I miss home more than ever before.
I miss those who went war with me.
I miss those who went missions with me.
I miss those who were carrying chairs with me.
I miss those who were wishing stars with me.
My angel has been the sweetest.
It was really tough over here. She comforted me every morning by telling me her day.
I love hearing her and being close to her.
It has been rainstorming here everyday and I drove every morning alone in this weather.
And after work, I am all alone in the compound and all the shops are all closed.
Having my meals all alone everyday at some crummy eatery is not fun.
I get a lot of praises and assurance here.
Even I myself am surprised by His Grace towards me.
"It is impressive, Melvin."
"Oh my god. did it work? You mean, at first shot? Wow... that's blasting."
"I saw all the results. They are fantastic! I am so happy that you manage those results."
"I am so relieved! You know, this split second decision makes a huge difference. As i said in my letter to MinDef, you are the best one we can have over there."
These are the exact emails and msgs from my boss.
I am thankful that God has been sustaining me over here.
The Joy of Lord shall be my strength.
I share this revelation with LV.
I may be alone.
But His Presence outshines the loneliness I have here.
It's time to smile in the rain again.
Be strong.
"Melvin, these are impressive datas!"
"Wow, I am impressed. Melvin gotten some highly valuable data for us."
"You came at the right time with the right technology."
"You are the first singaporean I met and I am impressed."
"You managed to get the same accurate spot all the time."
"Everyone is excited to have you here!"
------
"Melvin, I was most touched when you started thanking all your ex-leaders."
"You remembered all that!? Wow, you really impacted everyone."
"I always sit up when you are about to speak. It is always good to hear you speak."
-------
I am surrounded by some of the smartest brains in the world.
Surprisingly, I miss home more than ever before.
I miss those who went war with me.
I miss those who went missions with me.
I miss those who were carrying chairs with me.
I miss those who were wishing stars with me.
My angel has been the sweetest.
It was really tough over here. She comforted me every morning by telling me her day.
I love hearing her and being close to her.
It has been rainstorming here everyday and I drove every morning alone in this weather.
And after work, I am all alone in the compound and all the shops are all closed.
Having my meals all alone everyday at some crummy eatery is not fun.
I get a lot of praises and assurance here.
Even I myself am surprised by His Grace towards me.
"It is impressive, Melvin."
"Oh my god. did it work? You mean, at first shot? Wow... that's blasting."
"I saw all the results. They are fantastic! I am so happy that you manage those results."
"I am so relieved! You know, this split second decision makes a huge difference. As i said in my letter to MinDef, you are the best one we can have over there."
These are the exact emails and msgs from my boss.
I am thankful that God has been sustaining me over here.
The Joy of Lord shall be my strength.
I share this revelation with LV.
I may be alone.
But His Presence outshines the loneliness I have here.
It's time to smile in the rain again.
Be strong.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
a heart, an open one.
a heart, an open one.
Mar. 15th, 2011 at 9:37 PM
This post is dedicated to a friend, a mentor and a leader. Despite being under your leadership for barely under a year, I must say, you have impacted me in ways I myself do not understand. Perhaps in the beginning, I did not see things from your perspective, I did not understand the value of being in your fellowship. However I know that now. Or rather, have known for the recent part of the last few months. It is really interesting I must say, because in the beginning, I was skeptical, I was hesitant. This is something that cannot be avoided, something that comes with change. Transition periods are never easy. Some people transit through them fast, other longer. I must say I joined the latter.
However, your quirky and fun-loving nature won me over ( i don't mean this in a bad way, on the contrary it is something good!). I look forward to hearing you preach on friday nights, I enjoy sitting together with you during fellowship. Times and places whereby I stumble upon insightful wisdom, wisdom from you.
2 years is not a short period of time, albeit one that will pass quickly enough in due season. We will all miss your presence, I will miss your presence during our fridays and saturdays. Hearing one of your many stories always brings a smile to our faces, a thought embedded in our minds. I am already looking forward to your return from San Francisco in two months' time, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that sentiment.
Melvin, you have made a difference in my life, and in the lives of many others. You have brought laughter, you have brought tears. Your sacrifices are one to be admired, one that not many are willing to give up. They say that the only constant in life is change. I say that you have constantly brought change into my life.
Thank you.
http://shaunisaac.livejournal.com/38554.html
Mar. 15th, 2011 at 9:37 PM
This post is dedicated to a friend, a mentor and a leader. Despite being under your leadership for barely under a year, I must say, you have impacted me in ways I myself do not understand. Perhaps in the beginning, I did not see things from your perspective, I did not understand the value of being in your fellowship. However I know that now. Or rather, have known for the recent part of the last few months. It is really interesting I must say, because in the beginning, I was skeptical, I was hesitant. This is something that cannot be avoided, something that comes with change. Transition periods are never easy. Some people transit through them fast, other longer. I must say I joined the latter.
However, your quirky and fun-loving nature won me over ( i don't mean this in a bad way, on the contrary it is something good!). I look forward to hearing you preach on friday nights, I enjoy sitting together with you during fellowship. Times and places whereby I stumble upon insightful wisdom, wisdom from you.
2 years is not a short period of time, albeit one that will pass quickly enough in due season. We will all miss your presence, I will miss your presence during our fridays and saturdays. Hearing one of your many stories always brings a smile to our faces, a thought embedded in our minds. I am already looking forward to your return from San Francisco in two months' time, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that sentiment.
Melvin, you have made a difference in my life, and in the lives of many others. You have brought laughter, you have brought tears. Your sacrifices are one to be admired, one that not many are willing to give up. They say that the only constant in life is change. I say that you have constantly brought change into my life.
Thank you.
http://shaunisaac.livejournal.com/38554.html
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Maybe, Moses
"I saw how your people want to follow you and serve you. It touched my heart and he really looks up to you.
How he will want to serve and give to you. Like how Joshua will serve Moses.
This is rare in our modern day era." - YL
"Yesterday when you were sharing about your job, I was thinking that you came a long way.
How God has seen you thru your seasons of life. How you have grown and changed over the years." - YL
"Melvin, it is because of your sermons. I am still here." - Y
"It was mind-blowing! It was the bomb!" - R
------------------------
Maybe, Moses.
Maybe, it was.
Thank you, I believe it was.
How he will want to serve and give to you. Like how Joshua will serve Moses.
This is rare in our modern day era." - YL
"Yesterday when you were sharing about your job, I was thinking that you came a long way.
How God has seen you thru your seasons of life. How you have grown and changed over the years." - YL
"Melvin, it is because of your sermons. I am still here." - Y
"It was mind-blowing! It was the bomb!" - R
------------------------
Maybe, Moses.
Maybe, it was.
Thank you, I believe it was.
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