chinese bibles

If you know anyone who will willingly supply us with Chinese Bibles, preferably
-- NCV (new chinese version) preferable, but I suppose CUV is ok as well.
-- the whole Bible not just the NT
-- Simplified Chinese i.e. putonghua
-- 5 pounds or less per bible
... let me know please

It really scares me how hard it is to obtain affordable Chinese Bibles.

In a way it is a good problem to have I suppose, cos we've given quite a few away, woop! :)

anyone going back to SG over the summer please help me check out prices at SKS and Tecman please :) Campus Crusade and Trumpet Praise are usually too expensive :(

therefore being justified by faith

therefore being justified by faith
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
because the love of God is shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Ghost
which is given which is given
unto us, to us, unto us :)

week 8

[x] student lunch at emmanuel
[x] international bible study
[x] explore event publicity
[x] one on one bible studies
[x] organising equip
[x] explore meeting/ equip/ committee
[x] cu noticeboard in chaplaincy
[x] cv
[x] progress on masters application
[x] 5.20

Tomorrow the event actually happens. Dear God we need your help. more than that, i know i really need You. i am no longer feeling nervous about it; it feels just like i've gone into autopilot. i don't want to be on autopilot. I want You to be doing this. i really can't, not previously, not anymore.

love is patient

ooh it is such a BAD idea to have snacks in my room; i'm growing fat. remind me never to ask the international team to bring over chocolate chip cookies ANYMORE.

also, the international bible study was pretty awesome, God keeps adding to our number every week, like in acts 2. i certainly can't claim any credit for that. we haven't been working nearly hard enough. need to foster stronger friendships.

Lee also managed to compare Jesus Christ to Bob the builder:

"So Christ is not his surname. Christ is his appointment, his job. Not like Lee C; C is my surname. Think of Bob the Builder."

in view of that, hopefully by next Monday I will have recovered from the trauma of student lunch and the girls will have dinner together again :) the problem is partly that I don't remember what i cooked the last time; i don't want to cook the same thing... i seem to recall it being sweet potato and sausages. i think it will be time for some proper spaghetti bolognese :) and MAYBE then i will be non-traumatised enough to do the mudpie as well.

God has been good. i'm getting used to a new norm, learning more about the now and not yet, piling on the reading about the IRA and things... it's jumping one hurdle after another, handed in 2 essays last week and finished it off with God so loved the world publicity and student lunch. this week we've got to put up the publicity and pull off the actual event :) not to mention dave and i are on equip this wednesday. also going to finish the CU noticeboard in the chapo (oops!), should all be good fun :)

my heart is filled with thankfulness
to him who bore my pain
who plumbed the depths of my disgrace
and gave me life again

what is love?

this is love: not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Everlasting God

I'm completely exhausted.

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
--Isaiah 40:28-31

SO WE DO NOT LOSE HEART :) though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. for this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond ALLL comparison :)

(on a more practical level, remind me not to do explore publicity and student lunch cooking on the same day when it decides to pour with rain. i feel like i have earned a duke of edinburgh award for facing the elements :p )

Redefining success

Read the full post here.

Thought what he said is so true -- all of us want to be like the Successful Christian Man -- the one who succeeds in his career and yet remains a strong Christian.

But often success in the eyes of God is very different from success in the eyes of the world.

Thus I do wonder aloud,what if the SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN MAN's Talk was given by a missionary who had lost everything - sold his home, his family died of disease in that foreign land and he returns to Singapore for this talk having started a proud church in that land with no more than 10 people - the fruits of his hard labour of 30 years. He is a man of prayer, a man who loves the Word of God to bits as everyone can testify. Let me ask.... who will attend this talk?

Such an encouragement at this point -- when I know that by any measure my international work and my academic work must be a failure in the eyes of this world, God is more concerned about my relationship with him.

They will be amazed at what God defines as successful in this man's life. They will be struck at how God elevates the filth of the world and makes them jewels in His eyes. They will see how the things of this world are nothing compared to the riches in Christ Jesus. They will think less of achievement in their career and be more focused on the reasons for doing their studies and careers well in Christ. They will be more interested in using every cent well for His Kingdom and storing up little for themselves. They will know hunger and abundance, but glory in the Word that feeds them unto success. They will define success in relationships built on the gospel and not the number of friends on facebook or friendster. They will not scoff at poverty, no my dear friends, if it comes to them, they will embrace it all with Christ. Their Success will be determined by Christ!

Food

Haha my students put up a really embarrassing photo of me on Facebook from the Learning Journey trip to WWII memorial sites in 2007. According to the photo I was drinking bandung and eating char kway teow YUMMM are you hungry haha :p (wonder why it was not milo dinosaur or ice horlicks? HMM. or adam road prawn mee...)

thanks levin

I was really surprised when Larry gave me a postroom notice. I thought Dave's brother had sent my Bible to Warwick by owl or something. (there is no way that Royal mail would have gotten my Bible here in a day.)

And then I got to the postroom... and it was clearly not a Bible. Instead, it was a parcel from Australia!!! :D with lovely postcards and lovely scented things :O

I am also quite impressed that the stuff still smells gorgeous after travelling from Sydney to Coventry!!

Thanks levin you kinda made my day :) catch up soon :)

Unity

Last night at committee we prayed lots about the unity of the CU. So much is at stake, and if we don't realise the importance of loving our neighbours as ourselves, and doing what is most comfortable for others instead of us, we can never be united in Christ.

How can I help someone else to worship God best? :)