Living under open heaven

There have been circumstances that will expose my weakness, yet God's power is made perfect in our weakness. Life’s challenges can sometimes erode my confidence in who I am in Christ and lead me to doubt myself. But shouldn't it work the other way? When we stand firm in the truth of who we are in Christ, our circumstances no longer have an upper hand. Instead, our identity in Christ as His child redefines our stance in such circumstances, and there is no need to earn approval from others. Biblical adulting leans on God, and with this reliance, it should change the way we pray. Despite being imprisoned on a couple of different occasions and being rejected by close friends, the apostle Paul never lost sight of whom he belonged to and what he was called to do. His perspective on his circumstances was defined by his identity in Christ! Because of that, he was able to stand firm, even in prison, and maximize each situation as a new opportunity to share the love of Jesus, similarly ...

What's good enough then? We live in a noisy world. Bombarded by social media, opinions of others, and the pressures of life. The world is constantly talking to us, and it is easy to let those voices and societal norms dictate our day. Maybe a coworker has discouraged you or a friend has disappointed you. Life can certainly fill our hearts with many voices. Thus, it is so important to cultivate God’s truth in our hearts, making sure that this is louder than the noise of our daily lives. I know what my Daddy says. We must put more faith in what we do know about God than in what we don’t know about the future, trusting that He is good and there is no darkness in him at all (1john 1:5) “Now this is the gospel message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.” We don’t need to meet the societal definitions of what is good to be “good enough”, but rather, allowing God to define who you are rather than your circumstances or failur...

God cherishes us in our brokenness, but he’ll never leave us there. He sends people. And then, as he heals us, he uses us to touch others. I love the conclusion of the story of the lame man who was healed at the Gate called Beautiful (Acts3): “When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.”  When the people saw the man and recognized him, a crowd gathered. It became the perfect opportunity for Peter to preach, and the man was used as a witness unto the power and person of Jesus. Our healing could be for others too. When the man looked up, he obeyed, undaunted, and he was healed, and multitudes came to Christ.  Isn’t this the same work God was doing in us? He wants to lead us all through the gate called Beautiful, right into his presence. To put us on the path to our destiny, to fulfill our ca...

GOD SEES YOU But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.” -1 Samuel 16:7  I recall one of the interviews I had in September and was taken aback by the interviewer's response. It didn't make sense.  I remember feeling so helpless, so surprised, so insignificant.  I eventually left, but is hard to forget how that interview made me feel. And yet, I’m well aware of the times that I have acted more like the interviewer did than I have acted like Jesus—when I’ve  looked,  but not  seen.  How easy it is for us to absent-mindedly look past the waiter serving us, the manicurist at the salon or the clerk at the store. How common it is for us to stare at our phones and forget to acknowledge the barista handing us our coffee? How many times have we been the one to overlook someone else? Looking ...

you are not your job or how much money you have in the bank, nor the car you drive. Tyler Durden: "Do away with all your sofa units and strinne green stripe patterns, I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let's evolve, let the chips fall where they may." The endless rat race in the world where humans keep on collecting and acquiring things one after the other hoping that through each acquisition we get more and more complete. It is like going after a better motorbike and constantly chasing the best iPhone. It might seem insane to have absolute abandon with no planning at all. Thinking about it, it is not insanity to develop that sense of abandon within you. In fact, only an incredibly sane person who knows who he or she is would be able to reach that point. Tyler Durden: "First you have to give up. First, you have to know, NOT FEAR... KNOW that someday you're gonna die". Again, the reason why we desperately procure things is tha...

Truth is, they do. I see delicated passionate people willing to take no pay for charity work, as well as consistent home visits to be with the vulnerable. They value presence more than merely solutions. I see my boss all set on making changes on the ground, wanting to improve on anything possible. She is a passionate lady, even extending her hand to me when i am no longer working with her/ for her. People do care. I believe the leaders/directors all aspire to contribute and help the needy and voiceless. Sure, there are frustrations and limitations in rendering change and shifting mindset, but there are visionary people who are far-sighted and will not give up. Jason Wong is one of them. Yellow Ribbon seems idealistic to people until it became reality now. It is true that while there are upper class who are comfortable with where they are now, resisting to change if that would mean them having to sacrifice on their end, and with middle class chasing the rat race, lower-class struggli...

While charity provides social service, justice seeks social change Charity sees to the immediate needs and issues or society, justice looks further and deeper into their root causes. Justice is understood primarily as being concerned with how society is organized. How do we integrate faith and social justice?

O how high would I climb mountains If the mountains were where You hide O how far I'd scale the valleys If You graced the other side O how long have I chased rivers From lowly seas to where they rise Against the rush of grace descending From the source of its supply 'Cause in the highlands and the heartache You're neither more or less inclined I would search and stop at nothing You're just not that hard to find I will praise You on the mountain And I will praise You when the mountain's in my way You're the summit where my feet are So I will praise You in the valleys all the same N o less God within the shadows No less faithful when the night leads me astray You're the heaven where my heart is In the highlands and the heartache all the same O how far beneath Your glory Does Your kindness extend the path From where Your feet rest on the sunrise To where You sweep the sinner's past And O how fast would Yo...

You saw who you created me to be before I became me! Before I’d ever seen the light of day, the number of days you planned for me were already recorded in your book. Every single moment you are thinking of me! How precious and wonderful to consider that you cherish me constantly in your every though t! O God, your desires toward me are more than the grains of sand on every shore! When I awake each morning, you’re still with me. Psalm 139:16-18 Sometimes when I looked back at my mistakes, and the hurt I might have caused others, the times when I was impatient towards my parents, moments I did not practice wisdom and kindness, I find it really hard to love myself. Knowing the fact that God, the one who knows it all, yet still says He loves me, and not just that, but He likes me as a person, cherish me constantly in His every thought and desires me more than the grains of sand on every shore, that's something overwhelming and I can never underst...

They said love is hard. Love is scary. But most of all, love is painful. To me, love isn’t painful or scary.. it is the lack of love that is.. Sometimes we wonder why does God allows someone wonderful into our lives, teaching us how to love and be loved.. and then take it away.. but what if they aren’t ours to begin with? I got reminded of CS Lewis and her wife Joy Davidman.. they met in 1954, married in 1956.. and Joy passed on in 1960.. As quoted from Lewis in his book about her Wife passing.. he said “At first I am overwhelmed, and all my little happiness looks like broken toys. Then, slowly and reluctantly, bit by bit, I try to bring myself into the frame of mind that I should be in at all times. I remind myself that all these toys were never intended to possess my heart, that my true good is in another world, and my only real treasure is Christ. And perhaps, by God's grace, I succeed, and for a day or two become a creature consciously dependent on God and drawing its stre...

Recently been in deep thoughts on the concept of loving others, but also learning to protect and love myself. How do we manage both? God's reckless love is selfless and leaves the 99 for that one lost sheep. It taught me to stop striving to see the change now, and that no matter how much they failed you or themselves, just be there and to not withdraw your love and presence. But should your love comes at the expense of yourself, do you still go on loving and allowing yourself to be hurt over and over again? This is when boundaries come in. Boundaries aren't selfish or self-seeking. It is self-care. That I care about me too. Is telling myself to not work harder on your problems than my own. Not spending time trying to change someone who doesn't want to change. Not allowing someone to hurt me over and over again. Not allowing others to control how I spend my time and energy.  That isn't selfish, but is telling yourself that you deserve to be loved, respected a...

You will stay true even when the lies come Your word remains truth even when my thoughts don't line up I will stand tall on each promise You made Let the rest fade away There's a peace far beyond all understanding May it ever set my heart at ease Dare anxiety come, I'll remember That peace is a promise You keep You will stay true even in the chaos Your word remains truth even when my mind wreaks havoc I will be still for I've known all along My Jehovah Shalom There's a peace far beyond all understanding May it ever set my heart at ease What anxiety fails to remember Is peace is a promise You keep You are peace to a restless soul Peace when my thoughts wage war Peace to the anxious heart That's who You are, that's who You are You are peace when my fear takes hold Peace when I feel enclosed You are peace when I lose control That's who You are, that's who You are I've found peace far beyond all understanding Let it flow when my mind'...

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. - Zephaniah 3:17

"We are meant to become disappointed in people, just as we are meant to become disappointed in mediocre plays and books and paintings. Child-like things. Toxic things. Things that disrespect us. It is how we learn discernment. We are never cruel, but we are always moving, in smaller and smaller circles. It is painful but necessary. Loss always, for me, precedes growth." --Marlon Brando/Interview with James Grissom - The Lake of the mind

love is a safe place of shelter for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up. Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. So above all else, let love be the beautiful prize for which you run Love is  large and  incredibly patient. [ f ]   Love is gentle and consistently kind to all.  It refuses to be jealous [ g ]   when blessing comes to someone else .  Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance.  5  Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated [ h ]  or quick to take offense. [ i ]   6  Love joyfully celebrates honesty [ j ]  and finds no delight in what is wrong. [ k ] Come home. God of salvation You chased down my heart Through all of my failure and pride On a hill You created ...

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:8-9‬ ‭MSG‬‬

““Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously. “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best— the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. I...

Recently heard from a friend’s sharing about the thought collective’s take on connection.  A point that was mentioned was, people usually care about the who and the why of the leaders, while leaders often spend time on the how and the what.  “How to achieve greater heights as a group?”  “What should be the next direction?”  “What to do?”  “How to see this vision come to pass?”  As much as the how to achieve something, and what to do is important, the who you are, and why do you care as a leader matters to the people who are following.  Who are you really in reality behind all that you bring forth to your people? Are you sharing your authentic story of being in the gap? The gap between the person we want to be, being more Christ like, and the person we are in reality.  And why? Why do you care about your vision? Why do lives matter to you? Why do you care for your people? These are what matters to people on the ground.....

“The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name.” Exodus 15:3 “I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.” Revelation 3:1-3 ESV “The enemies are using who have been to attack who you might be.” ~Lisa Bevere  The lord desires to speak to me more than me wanting to listen from Him. Sometimes I’m distracted by my busyness, by entertainment, by self-condemnation, by division within the church..  The word of God is to set people’s free Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double. For I have bent Judah as my bow; I have made Ephraim its arrow. I will stir up your sons, O ...