thesis it. ;)

Alryty, so I have so many questions about stuff. (Mainly love life hahaha.)

And ever the optimist, I just look at it this way:

At least, my thesis is doable.

Thesis it! The time, the funds, the energy, the attitude, the inclination, plus all the motivation to finally do it.

So help me God. :)


James 4:13-15:
     Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” — yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring.
     What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
     Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

All booked up :)

Yesterday I bought two books. (Yes, I'm a Jesus freak and a bookworm.)

One is from Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of the great preacher Billy Graham. Billy calls her the best preacher in the family. I can see why:

"My duties and responsibilities at times seem overwhelming
and my schedule is overfilled.
But I don't want a vacation,
I don't want to quit,
I don't want sympathy,
I don't want money,
I don't want recognition,
I don't want to escape,
I don't even want a miracle!...

"Just give me JESUS."

Yep. Forget the problems and even the blessings... Let's go back to God Himself.

The other book I bought is the popular contemporary Bible translation, "The Message". I've been "craving" for it for some time already --- from the verses I've heard, Mr. Eugene Peterson talks straight and talks street. God's Truth is supposed to be sharper than a double-edged sword and The Message does deliver that truth in a powerful and (for people who've read the Bible for years) fresh way.

However, there are (quite valid) oppositions to The Message, such as found here and here.

What to do? The same thing a good Christian, a good scientist, or any person for that matter should do. Check, test, verify. 

The Christ-believers in Berea used the scientific method two thousand years ago:

"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." - The Book of Acts

Alrighty. Receive with an open heart ("great eagerness") but also an open mind ("examined to see if... true"). To apply to this situation, read The Message with "great eagerness" but continue to read the other versions of the Bible as well --- the others already established as authentic. 

Any Bible translation is a human and therefore feeble attempt to record and resend the Word of God Himself. However, if it is True, then it would be able to shine a different facet of the same God-diamond.

That's it. Enough blogging. Now to sleep, and tomorrow, to read. :)

Watch Community! :)

The TV series "Community" is hilarious yet deep. Do watch :)

Normally I would post personal-but-not-really-related-to-God topics only on Facebook, but then again...

(1) Is anything not related to God?

(2) Hey, I saw this Christianity Today article about the show, so, there.


The latest update is it will move to another network and will extend to another three seasons. Yay.

Do watch and be blessed. Gnyt :)

Sometimes we ask what to ask for

Don't know who to ask for help, or even what to pray for? Sometimes we also need to ask what to ask for. From Romans 8:


The Spirit helps us in our weakness. 

We do not know what we ought to pray for,
but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 

And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, 
because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him,
who have been called according to His purpose.

without You...

i am lost
i am vain
i will never be the same
without You...


My God song for this season is (no mere) pop/dance track:




Without You
David Guetta featuring Usher


I can't win, I can't reign
I will never win this game
Without you, without you

I am lost, I am vain,
I will never be the same
Without you, without you

I won't run, I won't fly
I will never make it by
Without you, without you

I can't rest, I can't fight
All I need is you and I,
Without you, without.... You!

Oh oh oh
You you you
Without
You you you
Without you..

Can't erase, so I'll take blame
But I can't accept that we're
Estranged
Without you, without you

I can't quit now, this can't be right
I can't take one more sleepless night
Without you, without you

I won't soar, I won't climb
If you're not here I'm paralyzed without you, without you

I can't look, I'm so blind
Lost my heart, I lost my mind without you without... You!

Oh oh oh
You you you
Without
You you you
Without you..

I am lost, I am vain,
I will never be the same
Without you, without you.. without you

Let love be genuine

The perfect message at the perfect time from the perfect God. From Romans 12.

Let love be genuine.

Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

Love one another with brotherly affection.

Outdo one another in showing honor.

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

Live in harmony with one another.

Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.

Never be wise in your own sight.

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God,

for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

To the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

if he is thirsty, give him something to drink;

for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil,

but overcome evil with good.

When my understanding fails...

From Paul's first letter to the Corinthians:

Love never fails. 

But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.




Elaborating, from the aptly-called Amplified Version:

Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].

For our knowledge is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect), and our prophecy (our teaching) is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect).

But when the complete and perfect (total) comes, the incomplete and imperfect will vanish away (become antiquated, void, and superseded).

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside.

For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God].

And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Get it, Teci? (Yup.)

Relieved... Because a few weeks back there was a lesson about the heart being deceitful and/or so easily deceived... Ah, how then can a deceived person be aware that she is deceived...?

Thank God for God --- because He still is the Way, the Life, and the Truth. He teaches us all things and guides us into all truth.

My being mistaken doesn't mean I'm always mistaken. It doesn't mean I'm hopeless; it doesn't mean I'll never get it. We all make mistakes. But little by little, by God's grace, we get wiser. We get a small part of the truth today, perhaps another little part tomorrow. In time, we will see God face to face --- a full revelation --- and we will be able to know (Him) fully (or at least as much as our finite vessels can handle). We are already fully known to Him.

Well, that explains that. Now back to work ==> teaching college physics  ;)


P.S. Note to self: I'm not a child anymore.

Dilemma resolved. (?)

So, Jacob physically wrestled with God while Job did it philosophically. (Job's body, family, and possessions were wrecked badly enough.)

Jacob: I will not let You go until You bless me.
(Demanding!)

Job: Why, what did I ever do to deserve this?
(Demanding too...)

Teci 1: I don't get it Lord.

Teci 2: Please give me what I want.
(Yes, demanding in my own way.)


I'm not supposed to understand everything but something clicked yesterday. Something that made sense in God's own way. A dilemma resolved. Hopefully I'm not just seeing what I want to see. So as always, still trust and listen and hang on to God.

But thankful for the peace and the resolution. Because I have already seen how good and wise God is, even when I don't understand. It's just a cherry on top when I do.

Resurrect!

Yesterday was Easter Sunday. People celebrated the resurrection of Jesus in different ways.

As for me...

• reformatted two computers (if you know me, you know this is a major issue)

• reclaimed leadership of our small group/Bible study -- thank You for the growth in quality and quantity. Every person is a blessing; every story helps us grow. ♥

• returned (slowly but surely) to Kids' Church ;) (If anything balances out teaching college students on weekdays, this would be it.)

• released, finally, all the bitterness and hatred, followed by a release of grace and forgiveness. This is my miracle of miracles.

• remembered to buy, one of these days, "Overcoming your Shadow Mission" by John Ortberg. Didn't have enough money once again ;) But I think it's something I need to know. Especially because I missed even the meaning of shadow mission completely.

• reminded again and again to confess my sins and bring them to light. Ask for help and for accountability. Relieved now. 

• restored and redeemed, even if yet in theory, God's plans and purposes for me. It's not my job to understand everything: I'm not God and I just act on the little that I do know. And I'm remembering to be thankful because His revelations are supposed to help and guide and remove confusion instead of adding to it. And I'm remembering that many seasons of frustration over delayed and denied *stuff* are directly due to my own *issues*. C'mon Lord. I claim Your power :)

• reminded that it's more blessed to give than to receive. :) This is no empty do-gooder push phrase; it's a tried and tested truth.

• reminded to "do ALL for the glory of God". But this time, it finally sank in. Finally finally. 

• remembering that Jesus ordered a direct command to NOT WORRY. Repeat ...

My body is supposed to be tired but my spirit is refreshed and renewed. :) 

"You must be born again," Jesus said. The decision to accept Christ can literally be made in an instant, but it is a commitment that needs renewing and remembering every once in a while. And the more we walk with God, the more we understand how great and holy and wonderful He is, and how undeserving yet blessed we are that He loves us... How far we are from Him and yet how powerfully He can change us if we just let Him.

And, so, I get born again, and again and again. 

And my soul is resting in peace while I'm being brought to life more and more.

Resurrect!

God will be there

This song was a pleasant surprise when my brother and I saw the lyrics. (Thanks Myx for showing the lyrics and for playing "God" songs this hour. Not all songs were actually God-centered, but hey, appropriate enough for Holy Week.)

Yah Mo Be There
by James Ingram and Michael McDonald


Heavenly father watching us all
We take from each other and give nothing at all
Well it's a dog-gone shame
But never too late for change
So if your luck runs low
Just reach out and call his name, his name

Chorus:
Yah mo be there (up and over)
Yah mo be there (up and over)
Yah mo be there (up and over)
Yah mo be there (up and over)
Whenever you call

Never be lonely lost in the night
Just run from the darkness
Looking for the light
'cause it's a long hard road
That leads to a brighter day (hey)
Don't let your heart grow cold
Just reach out and call his name, his name

[Chorus]

You can count on it brother
'cause we're all just finding our way
Travelling through time
People got to keep pushing on
No matter how many dreams slip away
Yah will be there

Well it's a dog-gone shame
But never too late for change
So when your luck runs low
Just reach out and call his name, his name

Got Hunger?

Was at tonight's last screening of "Hunger Games", with my parents and brother. ♥

Saw "Battle Royale" with some friends too, a few weeks back.

http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/2011/11/hunger-games-poster.jpg

Still looking for a reasonable reason to send kids to their death, with one victor as the authorities' act of mercy and forgiveness. (My bro was shaking his head at the government documentary explaining all this.)

Are we overanalyzing and taking this movie too seriously? Maybe. But gladiatorial (anything but) games with favors from on high are not only seen in Greek mythology and pop culture. The Romans did it 2000 years ago, and today we still have government-sanctioned violent entertainment.

Yes there's the violent loss of life, but the Capitol's supposed act of mercy is what disturbed me more. (Yes, I know, it's just a story, but there must be convincing reasons for audience's suspension of disbelief. Or maybe I just feel like a panel member reviewing *someone's* thesis.)

To atone for their rebellion, they must give:

a sacrifice.

of blood.

of life.

yearly.


Act of mercy and forgiveness? The people are supposed to be grateful for the ritual murders in their lands?


The documentary in the movie also talks about the peace they attained at the cost of blood. Now that the land already has peace, the government still demands blood sacrifice.




Do we still do that?

Yes.

 

http://shotnroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/IMG_9345.jpg

But Jesus said, "It is done."

He said, "It is finished."


Today is the start of Holy Week.

Hopefully we remember not just Jesus' death but His victory over death.

Hope we remember His sacrifice, not to add to it (like we can!),
but to give thanks.


In the movie, Katniss promises to be back for her sister. Kat gives all the reasurrance that she can, but she herself is not sure about what tomorrow will bring.


"Come to Me," Jesus says, "And I will give you rest."

 "Blessed are those who hunger, for they shall be filled."


"Whoever is thirsty, let him come to Me...
Whoever drinks the water I give him will never be thirsty again."

No empty promises, no mere good intentions.


With Jesus, we can truly be full.