This was how we were able to convince mum to play NINTENDO all day ... oh yeh!!
November 18, 2006
November 14, 2006
Pattaya Praise
Pattaya often known as the "sin city" of Thailand, is taken over every year by God's people praising him. Apparently the event was great this year with all the churches coming together to BLESS the city. Here is a video with some pics of many familiar faces (to me at least and probably anyone else who's been involved with YWAM Thailand).
November 11, 2006
Chinlone
An amazing video of a game called chinlone ... similar to Sepak Takraw of Thailand / Malaysia / Indonesia ...etc.
Chinlone is the traditional sport of Myanmar (Burma). Its is a combination of sport and dance, a team sport with no opposing team. In essence chinlone is non-competitive, yet it's as demanding as the most competitive ball games.
For a slightly clear version (loads longer) and other info on the movie and chinlone then see http://mysticball-themovie.com
Chinlone is the traditional sport of Myanmar (Burma). Its is a combination of sport and dance, a team sport with no opposing team. In essence chinlone is non-competitive, yet it's as demanding as the most competitive ball games.
For a slightly clear version (loads longer) and other info on the movie and chinlone then see http://mysticball-themovie.com
November 10, 2006
Good excuse ...
Well the reason for not blogging in forever (and for the next two weeks) has been the amount of studying I've been doing. Its made me a bit of loner, but in just two weeks it will all be over. PRAISE GOD!!
Actually I have blogged alot lately, except just not here ... I have a secret blog ;)
http://languagehub.blogspot.com/
It's called THE LANGUAGE HUB and it was a project for Uni
Actually I have blogged alot lately, except just not here ... I have a secret blog ;)
http://languagehub.blogspot.com/
It's called THE LANGUAGE HUB and it was a project for Uni
September 16, 2006
DISPONDENT??
Hows this for the start of a book ...
Being told everything is meaningless is not always the way to start off your day, but today it was what I needed. I have been pondering and complemating what I will do after I finish University this November, but I realize that is all meaningless... the worrying is meaningless, but also what I do is meaningless if it is merely to achieve my own goals and my own aims.
I really would love to save money, but if I work towards saving money just in order to do make possible what I want to do, then before long I will be feeling just like the author of Ecclesiastes. After so long doing his own thing, working so hard but not considering eternity or his Creator, he was full of dispair. He felt like everything that he had done in life was meaningless he felt like life itself had become meaningless. If I worked all year when its not where God wants me to be, and I continued in vain to speed up the process, or to take out some of the "uncertainty factor" of having to rely on God to provide, then I find myself saying "Everything is so weary and tiresome!"
As much as I want want to get into a rhythm, a pattern, a cycle just like "The sun rises and sets and hurries around to rise again." I realize that God has called me to more than that, that he has a life full of meaning, a life full of challenges, and a life having my expectations blown away.
In the final chapters of Ecclesiastes the wise old teacher, who has lived his life now with some regrets passing away too many days with no consideration of his Creator he urges others not make the same mistake. Don't waste away the prime time God has for you to fulfill his awesome will for you.
"Everything is meaningless," says the Teacher, "utterly meaningless!"
What do people get for all their hard work?
Generations come and go, but nothing really changes.
The sun rises and sets and hurries around to rise again.
The wind blows south and north, here and there, twisting back and forth, getting nowhere.
The rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows again to the sea.
Everything is so weary and tiresome! No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.
Being told everything is meaningless is not always the way to start off your day, but today it was what I needed. I have been pondering and complemating what I will do after I finish University this November, but I realize that is all meaningless... the worrying is meaningless, but also what I do is meaningless if it is merely to achieve my own goals and my own aims.
I really would love to save money, but if I work towards saving money just in order to do make possible what I want to do, then before long I will be feeling just like the author of Ecclesiastes. After so long doing his own thing, working so hard but not considering eternity or his Creator, he was full of dispair. He felt like everything that he had done in life was meaningless he felt like life itself had become meaningless. If I worked all year when its not where God wants me to be, and I continued in vain to speed up the process, or to take out some of the "uncertainty factor" of having to rely on God to provide, then I find myself saying "Everything is so weary and tiresome!"
As much as I want want to get into a rhythm, a pattern, a cycle just like "The sun rises and sets and hurries around to rise again." I realize that God has called me to more than that, that he has a life full of meaning, a life full of challenges, and a life having my expectations blown away.
In the final chapters of Ecclesiastes the wise old teacher, who has lived his life now with some regrets passing away too many days with no consideration of his Creator he urges others not make the same mistake. Don't waste away the prime time God has for you to fulfill his awesome will for you.
Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don't wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well.
...Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person.
God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.
September 04, 2006
Mai chai mai chai
I've discovered what a great range of Thai karaoke youtube has, this is the first Thai song that I ever knew ... well even just the chorus too!
It was a hit on the 2000 Thailand missions trip
and haven't been able to get it out of my head since!
and then the next time we went back it was this catchy song on thai karoke vcd that got me Yok yai
The translation of 'Yok yai' can either mean shake ... or evacuate. I'm pretty sure the lyrics of 'yok yai bun thai' mean shake your butt not evacuate your butt
another great song is a song by Doobadoo and the video pretty funny. WATCH OUT FOR THE COP!!
It was a hit on the 2000 Thailand missions trip
and haven't been able to get it out of my head since!
and then the next time we went back it was this catchy song on thai karoke vcd that got me Yok yai
The translation of 'Yok yai' can either mean shake ... or evacuate. I'm pretty sure the lyrics of 'yok yai bun thai' mean shake your butt not evacuate your butt
another great song is a song by Doobadoo and the video pretty funny. WATCH OUT FOR THE COP!!
September 01, 2006
Free books
Even in this digital age, I much prefer to read a book than I do an e-book... but this one is well worth a look. Its not only free but its worth a read.
Its called e-sword http://www.e-sword.net/ Its free Bible software. The installation comes with KJV version of the Bible but there are dozens and dozens of other translations available along with commentaries and dictionaries ... ALL FOR FREE. There are heaps of other languages too (Thai, Indonesian, Chinese)
Even great books are availabe for free download:
Fox's Book of Martyrs (John Fox)
The Practice of the Presence of God (Brother Lawrence)
The Pursuit of God (A. W. Tozer)
Tortured for Christ (Richard Wurmbrand)
A great resource to have!
Its called e-sword http://www.e-sword.net/ Its free Bible software. The installation comes with KJV version of the Bible but there are dozens and dozens of other translations available along with commentaries and dictionaries ... ALL FOR FREE. There are heaps of other languages too (Thai, Indonesian, Chinese)
Even great books are availabe for free download:
Fox's Book of Martyrs (John Fox)
The Practice of the Presence of God (Brother Lawrence)
The Pursuit of God (A. W. Tozer)
Tortured for Christ (Richard Wurmbrand)
A great resource to have!
August 28, 2006
August 21, 2006
Stuck on a rock and in a hard place
No the above title is not a poor attempt at a well-known cliche or a mistranslation of it found somewhere. Its been very true for me lately, actually it is always true that being firmly planted on the Rock is the best place to be when you find yourself in a hard place.
A recent hard place for me was the predicament I found myself in at university, where I was required to study a unit called Asian Mind, Health & Spirituality as part of my degree. I wasn't too sure about its content, but I knew that it focus on the practices and faith of Asian religions. I was a little afraid that I might be asked to compromise my faith during the practical workshops. The first day I wasn't reassured at all, when the lecturer told the class that if anyone was a Christian it would be most beneficial for them if they were to put Christianity aside for this subject. Even amongst the inner turmoil I felt like God said he would be my rock in this hard place, and that he wanted me to complete this unit.
Its only been a few weeks in but I can thank God placing me in this class, and for being my firm rock. The things I am learning have only served to make me more certain that He is the only ONE. God has revealed alot to me. The most frequent thing I am seeing is how the enemy has taken a truth and just twisted it ever so slighty, which has lead to whole groups of people being led away from the true God. God using this class to grow in my heart an even greater desire to see people set free from Satan's lies and deceptions.
Taoism seems to have alot of wisdom and some of the quotes even seem to be parallels to verses in the Bible. They can seem right, yet have wrong meanings. There is a Taoist saying that says “Be still like a mountain and flow like a great river” For us to really be strong we need to be still and allow a great power to work through us that sounds Biblical. Psalm 46:10 says "Be still, and know that I am God" and in John 7 the Holy Spirit that lives within us is referred to as a living stream / river. It almost seems to fit... but it doesn't. The reason is their idea of God is 'self', and they believe the power that comes from within, must come from oneself. If only they knew where true power comes from, if only they knew where the true living waters flow, then God's living waters could flow mightly through them.
The past two week have been spent looking at Hinduism, and its quite complex. Many schools of thoughts exist in Hinduism, but amongst them there are also many common strands. They have a saying that says "this life is only a bridge, don't build your house on it" The principle of not storing wealth here on earth is a good one, but the problem is that they don't know where they are going (where the bridge leads) and they don't know how to get there (who will lead the way). They're heading for nothingness, when they should be heading for fullness, and they think they're taking the bridge of reincarnation, but in reality there is only the one way, the one known as THE WAY. Unfortunately they will achieve a state of having nothing.
One of six main schools of thoughts in Hinduism is Yoga. Some people have differing views on yoga, some Christians like to take part in the practices of yoga if it is done by a Christian yogi (a Yoga devotee and teacher). It was eye-opening for me to learn of yoga's place in Hinduism and what the word yoga actually means. Yoga is a Sanskrit word that means "to yoke" or "to bind", and the practice of yoga is the process of uniting ones "individual self" with the "greater self". Binding our wills to God and what he wants us to be is a good thing, but binding our will to that of the Hindu gods does not sound like a good idea to me. Taking time out, stretching, exercising, relaxing, breathing are all things we should do, but for me at least there is no way I'm doing yoga (yoking & binding).
A recent hard place for me was the predicament I found myself in at university, where I was required to study a unit called Asian Mind, Health & Spirituality as part of my degree. I wasn't too sure about its content, but I knew that it focus on the practices and faith of Asian religions. I was a little afraid that I might be asked to compromise my faith during the practical workshops. The first day I wasn't reassured at all, when the lecturer told the class that if anyone was a Christian it would be most beneficial for them if they were to put Christianity aside for this subject. Even amongst the inner turmoil I felt like God said he would be my rock in this hard place, and that he wanted me to complete this unit.
Its only been a few weeks in but I can thank God placing me in this class, and for being my firm rock. The things I am learning have only served to make me more certain that He is the only ONE. God has revealed alot to me. The most frequent thing I am seeing is how the enemy has taken a truth and just twisted it ever so slighty, which has lead to whole groups of people being led away from the true God. God using this class to grow in my heart an even greater desire to see people set free from Satan's lies and deceptions.
Taoism seems to have alot of wisdom and some of the quotes even seem to be parallels to verses in the Bible. They can seem right, yet have wrong meanings. There is a Taoist saying that says “Be still like a mountain and flow like a great river” For us to really be strong we need to be still and allow a great power to work through us that sounds Biblical. Psalm 46:10 says "Be still, and know that I am God" and in John 7 the Holy Spirit that lives within us is referred to as a living stream / river. It almost seems to fit... but it doesn't. The reason is their idea of God is 'self', and they believe the power that comes from within, must come from oneself. If only they knew where true power comes from, if only they knew where the true living waters flow, then God's living waters could flow mightly through them.
The past two week have been spent looking at Hinduism, and its quite complex. Many schools of thoughts exist in Hinduism, but amongst them there are also many common strands. They have a saying that says "this life is only a bridge, don't build your house on it" The principle of not storing wealth here on earth is a good one, but the problem is that they don't know where they are going (where the bridge leads) and they don't know how to get there (who will lead the way). They're heading for nothingness, when they should be heading for fullness, and they think they're taking the bridge of reincarnation, but in reality there is only the one way, the one known as THE WAY. Unfortunately they will achieve a state of having nothing.
One of six main schools of thoughts in Hinduism is Yoga. Some people have differing views on yoga, some Christians like to take part in the practices of yoga if it is done by a Christian yogi (a Yoga devotee and teacher). It was eye-opening for me to learn of yoga's place in Hinduism and what the word yoga actually means. Yoga is a Sanskrit word that means "to yoke" or "to bind", and the practice of yoga is the process of uniting ones "individual self" with the "greater self". Binding our wills to God and what he wants us to be is a good thing, but binding our will to that of the Hindu gods does not sound like a good idea to me. Taking time out, stretching, exercising, relaxing, breathing are all things we should do, but for me at least there is no way I'm doing yoga (yoking & binding).
Phaonmneal
Believe it or not you can read this:
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.
The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch taem at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a
wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in
the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it
wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by
istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Such a cdonition is arppoiately cllaed
Typoglycemia :)
Amzanig huh? Yaeh and yuo awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt.
taken from another website
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.
The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch taem at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a
wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in
the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it
wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by
istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Such a cdonition is arppoiately cllaed
Typoglycemia :)
Amzanig huh? Yaeh and yuo awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt.
taken from another website
July 15, 2006
Brunei Darussalam
This picture was taken in the Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. I had the chance to stop over there on my last trip to Thailand with Royal Brunei Air. On the way to Bangkok I just hung around in the airport and tried to catch up on some sleep. Probably the safest airport in the world to sleep in that I've been too. Its like the chairs are designed for people wanting to sleep in between flights, they get alot of transit passengers there.
On the way back from Bangkok I had a day and a half in Brunei, I decided to skip the organized tours as I didn't really want to spend much money and just cruised around myself... Most of my time there consisted of eating. the cuisine is very much similar to what you find throughout Malaysia, ate a couple meals of Roti, made me miss being in Penang.
Brunei is not a really big place, but the people are extremely friendly. They will go out of your way to help you and everywhere I went people wanted to chat, some people said if I came again that I could just stay with them.
At the airport in Brunei before coming home I had a few hours to kill again so I was sitting down listening to my iRiver and a few people came and sat down... two of the ladies were Thai who had lived in Brunei for several years, because their husbands work there. I had only been out of Thailand for a couple days, but it was great to speak Thai again. After a while of chatting it turned out that one of the ladies is from Korat, the place that Tuu comes from, and the second lady was from Kantharalak in Sii Sa Ket which happened to be the place way out in the middle of Isaan where Shane had done outreach. It was all a bit of a spinout.
On the way back from Bangkok I had a day and a half in Brunei, I decided to skip the organized tours as I didn't really want to spend much money and just cruised around myself... Most of my time there consisted of eating. the cuisine is very much similar to what you find throughout Malaysia, ate a couple meals of Roti, made me miss being in Penang.
Brunei is not a really big place, but the people are extremely friendly. They will go out of your way to help you and everywhere I went people wanted to chat, some people said if I came again that I could just stay with them.
At the airport in Brunei before coming home I had a few hours to kill again so I was sitting down listening to my iRiver and a few people came and sat down... two of the ladies were Thai who had lived in Brunei for several years, because their husbands work there. I had only been out of Thailand for a couple days, but it was great to speak Thai again. After a while of chatting it turned out that one of the ladies is from Korat, the place that Tuu comes from, and the second lady was from Kantharalak in Sii Sa Ket which happened to be the place way out in the middle of Isaan where Shane had done outreach. It was all a bit of a spinout.
July 10, 2006
... for just a moment
It was only a short trip to Thailand this time, but 2 weeks was still a huge blessing for many reasons.
I got to see my brother graduate from his DTS in ChiangRai.
I got to eat some of the foods I've been craving for the past few months.
... and I got to spend time with my beautiful girl friend. I haven't talked much about her on my blog before, so for those that I haven't had the chance to talk to here are some more details.
Her Thai nickname is Tuu, most foreigners call her Tuli, and normally I just call her "honey" ;) all of those are easier for me to pronounce than her full name (Rungtiwa Noonpolkrang). She turned 24 on June 28th. She's from Korat, Thailand. She studied the last DTS which I was a staff on, and we were on the same outreach where we had a good opportunity to get to know each other, the thing that seemed to draw us together was our love for photography. However it still wasn't until "after DTS" that God led us together. Little did either of us know that we'd been praying to God about each other during the DTS, but didn't want a relationship to take away from what God was doing in our lives, so both of us had committed it to God and didn't actually think anything would come of it, but God had other ideas. It was so good, it was like we were both staring at God and asking what he wanted for us, looking to Him, and then we kind of bumped into each other... just love the way God works.
Its been 5 months now since we had the "chat"... and once again I was glad I didnt have to try to make anything happen, God just led our conversation ... and I just bumbled my way through ;)
Of the 5 months we've only been together in the same place for less than 3 weeks, but thats cool.
Wasn't sure what a long distance relationship would be like, but I can honestly say the 5 months have been awesome, rewarding, and callenging ... and it makes the time spent together even that much greater... goodbyes are the worst, but thats fine because there will always be another new "Hello" around the corner. Don't always know how long those corners are ... but we're just keeping on eyes on God and before we know it we'll bump each into each other again.
Praying that one day there won't be so many goodbyes...
June 10, 2006
call to endure
Click for SOUNDTRACK: Take my hand by Shawn McDonald
Hebrews 12:1-3
STRIP off weights. RUN with endurance. KEEP eyes on Jesus. THINK about His endurance. DON'T give up!
Romans 5:1-5
RIGHT with God. PEACE with God. LOOK FORWARD to His glory, REJOICE in trials, TEACHES endurance, STRENGTHENS character + expectation. NOT dissapointed. God LOVES us, gives HOLY SPIRIT. Hearts FILLED with love.
Hebrews 12:1-3
STRIP off weights. RUN with endurance. KEEP eyes on Jesus. THINK about His endurance. DON'T give up!
Romans 5:1-5
RIGHT with God. PEACE with God. LOOK FORWARD to His glory, REJOICE in trials, TEACHES endurance, STRENGTHENS character + expectation. NOT dissapointed. God LOVES us, gives HOLY SPIRIT. Hearts FILLED with love.
June 09, 2006
In Loving Memory of Luke Askwith
In a time where many are still grieving the loss of a young friend who had so much energy for life, so much love for others, and what seemed like so much more to give, I needed to hear something from God, and He gave me 2 Corinthians 4:14-18 to quiet my anxious soul.
LUKE WE LOVE YOU MATE, and we'll see you again once our present troubles pass, as we are raised to experience a new life and a great joy, a joy that that outweighs all the trials of this world.
We know that the same God who raised our Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself along with you.
All of these things are for your benefit. And as God's grace brings more and more people to Christ, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.
For our present troubles are quite small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever!
So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.
LUKE WE LOVE YOU MATE, and we'll see you again once our present troubles pass, as we are raised to experience a new life and a great joy, a joy that that outweighs all the trials of this world.
June 06, 2006
Your Lips and Your Life
From Relevant Magazine Website
Author: Lynzee West
Everyone worships something or someone. Whether it is a career, possessions or one's body, no one can escape it. I discovered one Sunday at church that I had begun to worship the music. You see, I attend a mega-church where the music is phenomenal every Sunday without miss, until one Sunday when the music director introduced a new song, and I became irritated. I thought to myself, “What is he thinking? We don’t sing this song!” I’m afraid within all of the debates concerning "praise and worship" music styles that we have forgotten to answer one important question: What is worship?
My worship of the Father had become confined to one location (church), to one day (Sunday) and to one function (music). While music and singing are acceptable to God, this is only one facet of worship God desires from His children. Through study in the Scriptures, I believe God is looking for two kinds of worship: that which is expressed by our lips, and that which is expressed by our lives.
Numerous Psalms command us to sing praises unto God, to bless His name and to speak well of the Father. This is our lip service. We worship the Father by declaring with our lips His goodness and faithfulness, because He truly is an awesome God. Our worship does not stop here though. Because He is good and faithful, how do these translate into our everyday lives? Consider Luke 4:8:
“Worship the Lord your God and serve him only” (TNIV).
In this verse the verbs "worship" and "serve" cannot be excluded from each other. Therefore, our lip service to God should reflect our life service to God. He not only deserves our adoration, but our very lives as an offering of service to be used by Him and for Him. Read the plea Paul gives believers in Romans 12:1:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship” (TNIV).
This is an image of a lifestyle of worship lived out daily in the life of the believer. Because we live and move and have our being in God (Acts 17:28), we can offer everything in our lives as a form of worship unto the Lord, whether it is taking care of an elderly relative, ministering out on the mission field or working in a job that is not all that exciting!
So, the next time you are at church singing your favorite song (or not), worship the Father with your lips because He is worthy to be praised, but when you leave, make sure you are worshipping the Father with your life.
Author: Lynzee West
Everyone worships something or someone. Whether it is a career, possessions or one's body, no one can escape it. I discovered one Sunday at church that I had begun to worship the music. You see, I attend a mega-church where the music is phenomenal every Sunday without miss, until one Sunday when the music director introduced a new song, and I became irritated. I thought to myself, “What is he thinking? We don’t sing this song!” I’m afraid within all of the debates concerning "praise and worship" music styles that we have forgotten to answer one important question: What is worship?
My worship of the Father had become confined to one location (church), to one day (Sunday) and to one function (music). While music and singing are acceptable to God, this is only one facet of worship God desires from His children. Through study in the Scriptures, I believe God is looking for two kinds of worship: that which is expressed by our lips, and that which is expressed by our lives.
Numerous Psalms command us to sing praises unto God, to bless His name and to speak well of the Father. This is our lip service. We worship the Father by declaring with our lips His goodness and faithfulness, because He truly is an awesome God. Our worship does not stop here though. Because He is good and faithful, how do these translate into our everyday lives? Consider Luke 4:8:
“Worship the Lord your God and serve him only” (TNIV).
In this verse the verbs "worship" and "serve" cannot be excluded from each other. Therefore, our lip service to God should reflect our life service to God. He not only deserves our adoration, but our very lives as an offering of service to be used by Him and for Him. Read the plea Paul gives believers in Romans 12:1:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship” (TNIV).
This is an image of a lifestyle of worship lived out daily in the life of the believer. Because we live and move and have our being in God (Acts 17:28), we can offer everything in our lives as a form of worship unto the Lord, whether it is taking care of an elderly relative, ministering out on the mission field or working in a job that is not all that exciting!
So, the next time you are at church singing your favorite song (or not), worship the Father with your lips because He is worthy to be praised, but when you leave, make sure you are worshipping the Father with your life.
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