Christianity: the basics

Now, you can know what Christianity is all about, and I spare you from going to church to hear all that. Time and time again, I always hear these preached:

• Your relationship with God, and also relationship with fellow created beings. No, it's not called religion.


• Love.


• Purpose and direction in life.


• Salvation is for everyone, your job is to bring Kingdom [to make the world a better place].


• Being a disciple of Christ.

These are the basics.

DON'T fall for these:

1. "If you don't embrace Christ now, you'll burn in Hell" - typical tactic, the attractive part of Christianity is being set free from man-made persuasion, not the physical 'Heaven'


2. "Since you've said this prayer, you're now a Christian" - If I don't mean what I say it's useless, and walk of faith differs from person to person.

Mind you, you can encounter crap people in Christiandom, such people DO exist.

bits and pieces

Found some worthy posts about the Christian faith by minishorts. I'd encourage you to read a few of the entries:

Your Spirit tak sama with My Spirit lah..
Debunking Your Jesus
Amen means yes, so say yes.
My God is not the boogeyman.

I've been hearing that some hard selling Christians saying if you don't accept Christ you will not be saved and you'll burn in Hell. Their purpose is to scare you so as to force you to accept their faith ASAP. I know such people do exist.

But, since my first exposure to Christianity in my secondary school right up to my attendence of Planetshakers in Melbourne, NEVER have I met such people, I am grateful. Instead, my pastors preached that each of us have the kingly and priestly anointing, every one of us is not just to occupy space in the physical world but have a specific purpose. What's more, each of us have the authority to bring Kingdom by our actions, and let what you do and say as an extension of worship. Aren't we suppose to set examples so that people will 'praise [our] Father', as opposed to hard-selling Christianity?

As this chap has written two years ago, God doesn't ask us to battle the devil for Him, instead ask us to [fulfil our purpose] and bear fruit. I love the fact that my church preach that the victory has already been won, and God has already won it all for us even though we may not be aware of the fact. I also love the fact that as we're carrying the anointing, all we need is just to be present when confronted with circumstances, the Holy Spirit will do the job, won the battle and say "You a great warrior!" though we're not the one doing the actual fighting. Isn't that amazing?

The Pentecostal-Charismatic camps emphasise a lot about personal relationship and the Holy Spirit. Planetshakers is Pentecostal by denomination and since I've never attended another church, then I do not know about what others practise. I know there's only one God and the Holy Spirit we receive as Christians is the same Spirit, the church is just an institution to teach you about living in Christ so why argue so much about which church you attend. As long as the churches still preach the same teachings it's still fine to attend them. My pastor said don't get caught up with the manifestations, they're just indicator(s) of the Presence and doesn't lead you further. What's more important is the fruit. I've even been preached that faith must come first, miracles are by-product of faith; have faith because it's our obligations, the miracles should never be the pursuit.

Some even went further to boasting that having the ability to babble when praying (ie speaking in tongues) means that only people with that ability has the Holy Spirit filled in them and those who don't doesn't. To date, tongues is still a debatable topic. Now, let's go back to the basics - Remember the conscience that reminds you not to do wrong? That's God in you. Also, as the Bible has said in 1 Cor 14:15, praying in intelligible language is still important!

Be careful, those very religious people can be hypocrite themselves.

High intensity praise

No Compromise - Planetshakers

I made up my mind
No compromise
I will live for You

Because of the cross
And what it cost
I will go for you

Shout His name out, JESUS!
Shout His name out, JESUS!

Chorus:
Who-oa, I'm not ashamed of You
Who-oa, I'm singing it loud
Who-oa, I'm living for You now
No matter what the cost I'll go

Bridge:
This praise is rising in my soul
I can't contain it anymore
I . just . have . to . dance!

***

No Compromise has a characteristic intro that make you recognize it instantly. In just 4 months, I become a big fan of Christian rock! LOL. Again, I encourage you to purchase a copy of Planetshakers ONE album to appreciate their art of worship music.

As opposed to traditional approaches to praise, what I see in Planetshakers every week is the crowd get up before the stage, jumping and dancing intensely to the rhythm of the song, nothing is holding back their release of praise. Not only the audience, the singers too dance around.

The other day, I went for Mighty Men inaugural conference. Guess what?! The opening really blows my expectations off, like no other! They're really up to cinematographic ways to bring you to a new level.

ONE

trailer.



Planetshakers - Get Up

Verse:
With every breath that I take
I'll praise You
With every move that I make

With everything that I am
I'll praise You
'Cause there is no other way

Pre-chorus
We stand together with hearts joined as one
We give you glory for all You have done

Chorus:
Everybody get up
If you love Him
Everybody get up
Get up and praise Him

Everybody get up
If you're free and
give Him the praise

(Let's dance)

Bridge:
You, you
Everything is all for You, you
We're living each day for You, you
Everything is all for You, you

***

I've been singing this since I first came to Planetshakers church until I know the song by heart.

To show my heartiest support, I get myself a copy of ONE on its release date. They're very good! The songs uses principles of pop and rock, and I think that's why the songs appeal to me greatly. The techno aspect of Planetshakers praise songs are superb, I suggest you to listen to appreciate it, and I believe they're getting better and better over time.

Technorati tags: Planetshakers, ONE

The end of first year

The function of haemoglobin in carrying oxygen, how the central iron (II) of the haem group changes form to enable effective oxygen transport and storage, is the basis to argue for intelligent design of all living beings. Ah, what nonsense.

There has been so many trial-and-error in natural history, Mother Nature has experimented to see which one will work. What works get passed down, what doesn't get eliminated. The very thing that's working in you, is the product of successful experimentation.

What my heart has yearned for, God has answered it. He knows exactly what I want. He knows I'm not good at building relationships. The answer? "Build a more intimate relationship with people around me was preached into my mind during a church course. I've waited this for so long! I've asked for it, and it's answered at a point of time, then come to past.

The thought is such a messy place in you and I that even the most nicest of people can't escape from. Negative thoughts always come to our minds, even my church pastor has told me in church course, what more me. The thought is where God speaks to us, at the same time it's also where the devil come to mess with us. What matters is what has been spoken to the outside world through our mouth and actions with our hands.

This semester is full of annointing till I'm overwhelmed of it. Time to put knowledge to practice :)

DNA Encounter

DNA Encounter was the finale of DNA course!

It's how amazing. Something I did not ask for (explicitly), and was prayed for the miracle. Clearly, God knows exactly what I need for the time being.

This faith is the path that I've chosen to walk. It's time to throw away all the junks, and continue. The junks that we've accumulated when we were young, or before we come to Christ. They're thrown away in this spiritual "spring cleaning".

Forget about the religion my ancestors practise. I've been set free from mechanical rituals. Oh, no environmental footprint.

Religiousity will only make people sick.

Everyone has a place in the Kingdom of Heaven, and that is the assurance =)

Classification of humans

If you can read this, you are a human being. More inclusively, you are also

a hominin (human and chimps)

Starting from this, religious fundamentalists are starting to get upset. How can you relate a human and a chimp? Aren't we created in the image of the Creator? Wait, then I'll tell you the story.

You are also...

a hominid @ great ape
a primate
an euterian (true beast) @ placental
a vertebrate - don't you have back bones?
a chordate - you have a back support
a bilaterian - a plane of symmetry separates you into equal halfs
an animal (!)

As an animal you are also an opisthokont (animals, mushrooms, yeasts, moulds)
an eukaryote (your cell has a true nucleus)
a living organism

I remember being shown photos of monkeys, and asked "Does those look like you?". The obvious answer is 'No', to deny that human arises out of evolution. Churches do that, a lot. But wait! Let's take the argument to the small level.

In each of your cell, you have mitochondria. That supplies you energy. And so many organelles that keep your cell working. Don't all the animals share the same structure?

How does our body work, in molecular terms? Your body is essentially chemical factories. Almost all living organisms have common biochemistry. What keeps you alive, moment to moment, day to day, are also the same as your dog, your cat and your plant. You use DNA to store and pass genetic information. What makes you human is the miniscule difference in genome between you and other organisms.

Hey, what has been written in your DNA is what makes you human!

By just looking with our eyes, human and other living things look different. But deep at the small scale, how things work is the same. And the way things work, is due to path dependence. Just as I'm typing on a QWERTY keyboard, so do other living beings breathe the same air, and perform the same glycolysis to keep them going. The language of life is an ancient language. How do read ATGC in DNA is almost the same for all organisms.

Have the bacteria had a different way of reading ATGC, we'll have a hard time figuring out how to write it for the bacteria to produce insulin for us!

Who is the ultimate author of all life? God.

Fearfully and wonderfully made

If you have studied science, you'll know that our bodies operate the same physiologically as animals.

If you have studied biology, you'll come to know that human is classified under animals with a scientific name Homo sapien.

If you're interested in evolutionary history of humans, more than one species existed under the genus Homo and they're called "species of human". People you meet everyday are Homo sapiens sapiens (don't forget you're one of them!) and other species of human has gone extinct.


The question is: Given that we are a kind of animal (I do not say "humans are animals") then what sets us apart from other animals?

First thing, human beings are created in the image of the God. That's where the higher expectations come in. Also, God gives us the authority over all lifeforms on Earth.

Since we have this higher expectations, so what we see in the animal kingdom does not necessarily apply to us! The animal kingdom don't have such a thing called "marriage" although some animals are known to be monogamous. Look at the stray dogs. The male does not care which bitch he mates with as long as he's mating with one. It has even been shown that you can mate a father and his daughter (that's how the White German Shepherd dog come from through inbreeding).

Our world is not as simple like any other animals. Look at how many things you own. Look at how many things you go through everyday. This growing complexity demands more than simple calls for communication. That's why we need language!

You can demonstrate intelligence in animals, but the level still fall short! Which species can learn at the fastest pace? What has shaped the Earth today? Clearly, God has given us the authority to take charge of everything on Earth, and to 'rule over them' (Genesis 1)

We have the authority, along with it also comes expectations.

The meaning of Divine Love

God's love allows us to lead immoral lives.

Absolutely wrong. The divine love is not an allowance for us to do anything we want. The statement above was made since the beginning, what has been said about these people (who made such statement)? "... The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." (Jude 1:4 NLT)

As a mere human being in my journey of faith, the thought came to me and the answer found in the Bible. I am no different from you. Instead,

God's love actually expects higher of us.

I know that's the way :)

A+ for SPM?

Good or bad news?

The new SPM has A+ above the existing A1 as highest possible grade.

So after this everyone will be so kiasu to get A+ because A1 is now 2nd best.

A grade above all grades! What a bad joke.

Oh come on, a grade is still a way to present result. Behind the scenes, they can set their own standard, then tell us that standard has improved (a sheer nonsense) or set a quota for number of distinctions (for sheer political purpose), right?

Take it like this. You wanna have affirmative action so that one group of people get high grades. Of course you cannot have double standard because other groups are under the same system as well. So a lot of people get the high grade, and a lot are eligible for incentives (scholarships). So, you have no choice but to create "a grade above all grades" because so many are demanding scholarships. You have no choice but to make an unpopular decision with the students.

Spare our poor kids! We already have enough of craps in education.

Fotoholics Port Phillip camp 2009

28 to 29 September 2009

Another trip to regional Victoria! This time I went around Port Phillip Bay, going to the Mornington Penisula (east side) then to Geelong and Bellarine Penisula (west side), stopping along tourist attractions for photo opps.

Day 1

First stop, Ashcombe Maze and Lavender Gardens.



This is the largest hedgemaze in the southern hemisphere. But it turned out a little dissapointing. The maze is divided into smaller northern maze and southern maze, with ending point to the centre. I tried using a bird eye view photo of the maze to find my way, but I can literally throw them into the drain! No fun at all, because the maze is too small.

Tried out the circular rose maze and sat at the throne of victory!



We had Susan Su as our model throughout the trip



Second stop, The Blowhole, part of Mornington Penisula National Park



Navigating past the rough coastal terrain at The Blowhole, a word came to me: You are the rock on which I stand. That's it! As I hop from rock to rock, I am holding on the solid ground for safety.

The green seaweed that gave rise to land plants. As I learnt from my biology class, they're not plants!



Stop 3, Cape Schanck lighthouse for sunset



The weather was freezing even during spring!

Really, this is a weird scene.



The starfish



Day 2

I know it sucks 'cause despite all preparations, I can't make it to sunrise photography. I felt I've been forsaken.

Stop 1, London Bridge beach, Portsea

We are never close to the end of the penisula! At London Bridge, boulders inside the sea form wave barriers. Behind these boulders are full of life!



Also, there're numerous strange rock formations. But a word of warning: cliffs are unstable.



Then, took a ferry at Sorrento to make our way to Queenscliff at the Bellarine Penisula.



This is the Australian Red Ensign, found on civilian ships.

Stop 2, Fort Queenscliff

At Fort Queenscliff, I had a view of The Rip, the entrance to Port Phillip Bay.





Stop 3, Sunset photography at Avalon Airfield



More photos:
Fotoholics Port Phillip camp 2009 model shot
Fotoholics Port Phillip Bay camp 2009

Technorati tags: Port Phillip Bay, Mornington Penisula, Bellarine Penisula, Ashcombe Maze

The Verses I Always Sing

Nothing is Impossible

Through You
I can do anything
I can do all things
'Cause it's You who gives me strength
Nothing is impossible

...

You can tell it's a Christian praise song. Let's not keep these songs inside the church. Use them whenever the opportunity comes! During a rock climbing session today, I sang this throughout my ascent to the top. This is really a confidence booster!

God is Able

...

(chorus)
I know my God is able
I know His love never fails
I know my God is able
I believe in You

(bridge)
I put my trust in all I am
'Cause I know You have a master plan
I throw my life into Your hands
For Your glory
For Your glory

Whenever I need a breakthrough in my life :) I know my God is able to do it. I sing this as a prophesy when I need an achievement, to tell myself: I am able to do it, the strength I need is on me.

This is the bridge of "Lift You High":

You are my God
The Great I Am
And You are the rock
On which I stand

...

Why stand on the rock? As one who grows in the city, I seldom experience natural terrain. It wasn't until I've been for Fotoholics camp at The Blowhole, Mornington Penisula. The coast is facing the ocean, rough waves hitting the shore. Big rocks line the side. To navigate safely to the outside and back, I stepped from rock to rock. Then a word came to me: the rocks are solid and secure, You are the rock on which I stand! I finally appreciate the meaning of the those worship songs I sing! The rock signifies the solid principle on which you hold on to, and you won't go wrong from it =)