A song for my girl

...which she can't watch yet as YouTube is blocked in Thailand

For those I haven't told

Its been public knowledge for a while, but for some reason I neglected to blog about it ... IM GETTING MARRIED ... yay!!!

Tuu and I will be having a Thai engagement ceremony in September, the week after my bro gets married in Chiang Rai. At that time I will present half the dowry and all the gold to her parents / grandparents.

After spending a bit of time with her family and organising wedding plans, we will both come back to Australia, so that I can work for a while longer and attempt to save money for the rest of the dowry... saving that much money in a short time doesn't seem possible, so we'll just have to trust God for the impossible.

That will be Tuu's first time to Australia, and I think I'm look forward to it more than her .. hehe. She's a little nervous about the strong Australian accents she will encounter, but I know she will be fine. She can just do what I did when I went to meet her parents and didnt have a clue what they were saying... I just smiled =)

Then after two months Tuu will go back to Thailand, and I will follow shortly after so we can make the final preparations for our wedding which will take place in Korat, Thailand on January 11th 2008. The amount of things that we have to do before that day seem a little bit scary, things get a little more complicated when half the ideas I had about weddings are thrown out the window because of the difference in cultures. Thats ok though it means the wedding be even better, and it is our earnest hope that our wedding will be a reflection of God's goodness to us, and the diversity of the wonderful cultures He has created will shine through. Please pray that God will give us wisdom and favor with Tuu's family as we discuss with them issues such as not participating in the Bhuddist rituals normally associated with Thai weddings. We wish not to offend them, but neither do we want to compromise our beliefs. Praise God He has the answers =)

We were made for this

We were made to be givers not takers. No matter how much we get, no matter how much we take, we will never be satisfied. Something still seems to be missing. That's because God is a giver, not a taker. And because we were made for God, we too are made to be givers, not takers. And that seems flat-out backward to this world of self (Jones, The Backward Life)

Clinging To The Cross

My soul is weak
My heart is numb
I cannot see
But still my hope is found in You
I’ll hold on tightly
You will never let me go
For Jesus, You will never fail
Jesus, You will never fail

Simply to the cross i cling
Letting go of all earthly things
Clinging to the cross
Mercy’s found a way for me
Hope is here as i am free
Jesus, You are all i need
Clinging to the cross

Even darkness is as light to You, my Lord
So light the way and lead me home
To that place where every tear is wiped away
For Jesus, You will never fail
Jesus, You will never fail

Simply to the cross i cling
Letting go of all earthly things
Clinging to the cross
Mercy’s found a way for me
Hope is here as i am free
Jesus, You are all i need
Clinging to the cross

What a Saviour, what a story
You were crucified but now You are alive
So amazing, such a mystery
You were crucified but now You are alive

Simply to the cross i cling
Letting go of all earthly things
Clinging to the cross
Mercy’s found a way for me
Hope is here as i am free
Jesus, You are all i need
Clinging to the cross

[Tim Hughes & Brooke Fraser]

sensible or silly

Isa 55:8 "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

Question....

Why is "I" the only pronoun in English that is capatilized mid-sentence.
Is it coz I am more important than him or her, or even you!
I know I am important and special, because God made me that way ... but he made you important and special too ... so why the difference ... it bugs me a little.

Tears of the saints

This song is amazing, its hard to listen to this song and not capture the heart of God for the hurting.

Click --> LISTEN HERE

Tears of the Saint
by Leeland

There are many prodigal sons
On our city streets they run
Searching for shelter
There are homes broken down
People’s hopes have fallen to the ground
From failures

This is an emergency!

There are tears from the saints
For the lost and unsaved
We’re crying for them come back home
We’re crying for them come back home
And all your children will stretch out their hands
And pick up the crippled man
Father, we will lead them home
Father, we will lead them home

There are schools full of hatred
Even churches have forsaken
Love and mercy
May we see this generation
In it’s state of desperation
For Your glory

This is an emergency!

Sinner, reach out your hands!
Children in Christ you stand!
Sinner, reach out your hands!
Children in Christ you stand!

And all Your children will stretch out their hands
And pick up the crippled man
Father, we will lead them home
Father, we will lead them home

Thinking Backwards

What if high self-esteem was the curse and low self-esteem was the gift. High self-esteem fuels confidence in ourselves, but low self-esteem propels our need for God.

When we accept that we cannot love God and others on our own, we free ourselves from the struggle, allowing God to rip away any dependence on self (or self-help) and expose our desperate need for God-help and God's powerful love. By faith and dependence on God, he fills us, empowers our love for him, and overflows love for the others. As the apostle John said, "We love because he first loves us"(1John 4:19)

quotes from The Backward Life by Jarod Jones

THE JOURNEY IS WORTH IT - PART 1

These are my sermon notes from last Sunday night, this is the first part and there will be more to come.

journey
1. a traveling from one place to another, often taking a rather long time
2. passage or progress from one stage to another

The journey is basically what happens between leaving somewhere … and arriving somewhere. We take journeys all the time – ferry rides, flights, train trips, bus rides, even walking. Not all journeys are alike. Some of our journeys are interesting, some not so interesting … some short, some long … some exciting, and some exhausting.

In my travels in Thailand and Asia, I’ve had some very interesting journeys. Probably the craziest of them all was in a tuk-tuk. Those things can be scary at the best of times, but this one was exceptionally nuts, as our tuk-tuk driver was drunk, and he decided it would be quicker and easier to weave between the oncoming traffic on the main streets of Bangkok. It was good though, I definitely had a better understanding of God’s protection because of it. There were some fun journeys too, like riding on an elephant… well until the pain set in that is. Oh and there was another journey where I was so sick along the way that I lost control of my bowel movements (but I don’t think I’ll tell you about that one)

As different as all journeys can be, there is something that binds them together, a thread of commonality that runs through them all.

FIRST  - All journeys have a purpose, whether it is to have a holiday, or to experience something new. Maybe the purpose of the journey is simply to get somewhere. All journeys have a purpose. If there was no purpose then what would be the point in taking a journey in the first place? It just doesn’t seem worth it, a waste of time, a waste of energy, a waste of fuel, a waste of money.

SECOND - Just as all journeys have a purpose, they also have a starting point and a destination. The destination may not always be what we expected. There might even be times where we get really lost and end up back where we started, but still there was a starting point and a destination.

THIRD - It might seem obvious, but it is important that in order to reach the destination, a journey must be taken. Unless we attempt the journey we have no chance of getting there. We can’t blink and just arrive, besides we would be missing out on the journey then. I love travelling because often the journey is really interesting, especially the people that you meet along the way. Eliminating the journey would mean missing out on something. Many have even said that the “journey is more important than the destination”.

OUR LIFE
Our life is often referred to as a journey. We call it our Christian walk, and the author of Hebrews even calls it a race. I love the term journey, it really fits. Our life has up and downs, bends and pit holes, jet streams and tubulation … it’s got it all!

The three points that are true of all journeys are also true of our lives
1) It has a purpose
2) It has a starting point and a destination
3) We can only get arrive at the destination via the journey

PART TWO to come: BIBLICAL JOURNEYS

Technorati tags: Sermon Journey

There comes a time

well this is that time... where I will break through the blog drought and make a blog post.

Quick update.
well after getting back from Thailand a month back I ended up with killer tonsilitus that kept me out of action for a while, since then been working alot (for my dad), preparing a sermon (which I gave tonight at church), and playing a bit of Carcassonne (awesome board game)

Home-alone 
Shane and I were home alone for a week, while mum and dad were away, we survived on microwave pizza, pies, and other easy to cook things. Although he did cook up a mean bacon, eggs, tomato brekky. During that time we also had our German friend Sonja (http://sonjajesusfreak.blogspot.com/) and her brother stay with us. That was lots of fun. They've been travelling around WA.

I've got lots more to write... but I should try not to overdo it seen as its been so long.

the ONE ...

Today is a special day, as marks the ONE year anniversary of the day which I stumbled and fumbled over my words as I confessed my love to the ONE I had been praying for, and then after a moment -- seeming like an eternity -- she broke the awkward nervous silence with words to the effect of "mmm I've been wondering... because I feel the same way about you".

On that day we decided both to prayerfully continue our relationship seeking God together for what he had for us as individuals and as a couple, that He would guide and blossom our friendship... and ONE year on from that ONE day I thank God for that friendship, I thank Him for the ONE that He placed in my life, the gorgeous precious angel named Tuu (or Tuli... or Rungtiwa Noonpolkrung). I love you! Happy Anniversary sweety!!

Bits & pieces

thought it was time I gave a bit of random update about things that have been happening in my life.


My last Semester results

I hadn't mentioned anything coz I didn't want to boast, but I realize if I do boast I'm boasting in Christ.

With my last semester at University I did really well. Thanks to God's help and also giving me a new passion for study, I ended up with 4 high distinctions... I also just found out that placed me in the top 1% of all students at Curtin which got me onto the Vice-Chancellor's list. An unexpected blessing!


Meeting the parents...and the dog

well I came to Thailand just before New Years to spend time with Tuu and her family. It was a good time getting to know Tuu's mum, dad, 3 older sisters, and her MANY relatives. It was good going around New Years because there were plenty of parties with lots of food.
After that then I spent about a week learning how to clean and bundle vegetable so Tuu's mum could sell them at the early morning market.

In the end the family wasn't too scary, except for the dog. The dog doesn't like strangers and everyone in the village is scared of him, I was just a little bit too strange for him and he bit me... on the butt. Praise God that the wound wasn't deep, and that he gave me the wisdom to turn around as I saw him coming otherwise the damage would have been worse for sure. I've had 8 injections... and counting. Praise God also that the anti-rabies shot are around $10 each instead of $100 which I think they cost back in Oz.

A Free ride

the other day Tuu and I were trying to get to the market by the usual method ... hitch-hiking. We didn't have to wait long before I saw a red-truck and thought that looks like a good one to try, the truck pulled over after flagging him down... it was a COP ... he was friendly and was only happy to give us a ride. Pretty much anywhere else in the world, and that same situation might end up resulting in an expensive ride to an undesired location ... I LOVE THAILAND.

That day we also decided to goto a waterfall, and really were amazed as God blessed us through other things, like first of providing us a lift to the waterfall with a foreign couple we met just outside of the cafe. The walk is fairly tiring and we've done it a few times, so it was cool to not have to walk this time as I was feeling quite weak that day, getting over some sickness. The strange thing as when they got to the waterfall they decided not to go in and they just turned around and went back to the road, so really there only purpose in going to the waterfall ended up being to send us. Also God absolutely blew me away when we went to pay for the admission and they decided to let me in for Thai price 20baht instead of the foreign price 400baht. Other times I've been there the least I've paid is 100baht. God is good.


ok thats enough for now ...

learning how to pray...

"Only he who is helpless can truly pray"
A Norwegian theologian Ole 

Mine!!

Sometimes we can be so possessive of our dreams and plans, just like this dog won't give up his ball. Its just a ball, but its all the dog has ever known so he's not giving it up. If only we weren't possessive, we could give up our old ragged plans to allow God to give us new and better ones.

 

everday is a good day

... but this one was even better!! PRAISE GOD for his blessing in my life.

Today two big milestones reached

1.  I handed in my last Uni assignment, which means I will graduate this February from a BA (Asian Studies - TESOL Major). I really believed that this year God was calling back to study to finish what I had started, and though it was a tough semester God really helped me through it. The new focus and vision I gained during my time in Thailand really helped too. Thanks to Tuu for her patience and understanding when I unable to call more often than the times I was able to. Love you! and thanks to all my family and friends for your support and prayers.
   
   
2. I sat the practical examination for driving license today, I didn't feel that confident as  I was really tired and hadn't much time to focus on practicing lately, but by God's grace I passed (He must have softened the instructor's heart).

then when I got home I received an email with my marks for a big assignment that I had done comparing Christianity and Taoism. I couldn't believe it, I got full marks for. God is good!

So many things to look forward to now, having free time, enjoying my first Christmas with my family for 4 years, going to Thailand before New Year's to spend two months with my sweety and meet her parents.

Excuse me a moment while I jump up and down PRAISE GOD!!

I don't deserve to be so blessed, but still He blesses me...