In the Bedroom after the War
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April 29, 2009
We want to be FREE Ivan 'Vern' Poh from URL @ 4:13 PM John 8:32 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The truth shall make you free It sounds so certain. I bet God know what He's saying. Surely, if it is the truth, if is easy articulated. If the verse didn't sound that sure, then perhaps we could argue that there is a slight chance that the truth will not set you free. When presented with something so no-strings attached, we tend to doubt a little bit or feel a little bit uncertain still. We argue, we wrestle with God and we try to justify our actions. It is all actions caused by legitimate feelings. However, we never thought much about action. Most of the time legitimate feelings don't neccessary birth the idea of righteous behaviour and action in our heads and hearts. Maybe we accented the wrong words. We responded the wrong ways and felt it was legitmate due to legitimate feelings. But I think otherwise!!! There is room to be human. But room to be human shouldn't provide us with an excuse to not be righteous, christlike in our character. It says, we shall know the truth. What is your truth man? It says afterwards that the truth will set us free. Christianity is living a lifestyle of truth. Doesn't mean condemming pagan and unchristlike behaviour and worse, condemming ppl who do all that. I personally would accept their behaviour. But then I know it's just my truth. They will only become like me when it becomes their truth. Lastly, we have one life. A choice between bondage and freedom. I want truth to set me free. I cannot wait to find out the truth of Jesus. The truth is the word of God. Sometimes without even ready it, the principles are already manifested in the lives of people around you, the culture of the church you serve in and in the relationships you have. So truth is very simple. Run to the word. But... Also just simply ride the tide, listen to ppl around, get into the flow and culture. I have been sharpened so many times by ppl around me because of the truth that is manifested in their lives. The truth shall set you and me free. Man, it's so certain. Now we, I, need to find ways to find the truth about my life and walk with God. Hahaha I want to be free like many of you. Freedom is more precious. Sometimes, we've got to not fear judgment to be free. Cheers! The truth will set you free. April 28, 2009 Pigs and Us Ivan 'Vern' Poh from URL @ 12:32 AM Nadine says that when you are down with a flu and you sleep like a pig, you are in deep trouble because potentially it may be swine flu. HAHAHA Let me share with you something really interesting! Read attentively. HAHAHA Flu Can Spread from Pigs to People and from People to Pigs - Swine flu viruses can infect humans, but this is not common. - Human and swine flu viruses are different. People who get vaccinated for human flu can still get sick from swine flu. Pigs that have been vaccinated for swine flu can still get sick from human flu. - Symptoms of swine flu in people are no different from symptoms that people get when they are infected with human flu viruses. - People infected with flu typically have fever (often high), cough, body aches, headaches, fatigue and runny or stuffy nose. Vomiting and diarrhea may also occur. - Recent studies have shown that 15% to 25% of swine farmers might have been infected with swine flu viruses, as well as about 10% of veterinarians. - Cases of swine flu have most commonly occurred in people with direct exposure to pigs, but some cases of human-to-human transmission have been reported. You can read more HERE Just one thing, there is just too many similarities between humans and pigs. My goodness, even pigs get the flu and there's a difference when their sick. We should pray for a smart pig. When we get the flu, we go to the doctors. Poor pigs that don't have piggy doctors. Well, above all else, Swine Flu just shows how much of a pig we humans are sometimes. HAHA Cheers! Maybe we'll see some pigs in heaven. with wings. they'll fit in well. April 27, 2009 Ivan 'Vern' Poh from URL @ 8:09 PM I was on my way to dhoby ghaut a while ago when I came across something kinda awkward. There was this youth, she didn't look local at all, standing right near the control station at yishun mrt. She got a lot of attention because she was tearfully sobbing. There were many onlookers, by-passers, people who just looked at her. Some were commenting, some just needed to have that bit of involvement. It was pleasing to see all the reactions of the passerbys though it was just a 1minute affair before I walked to the platform. Then it dawned on me that she looked really heartbroken as I go up the escalator. I had that 5 seconds where I looked straight into her eyes and she looked back while wiping off the tears. She couldn't be lost, because she was grown up all dressed in a JC uniform probably. But it was really clear to me that she was still lost. I can remember those eyes up till now. Haha... The word of God is a mirror. she looked lost to me. Maybe she should look at the word of God and perhaps when she look at herself, she won't look so lost anymore. We've got to win all these ppl to God. I am so moved by Pastor How's series on 7 things I hate about Christianity. Can't wait to make a difference and win these ppl to church. Whatever their background, whatever their conviction, just come to know Jesus. Then we'll talk abt everything else later. April 20, 2009 What is that so distressful? Ivan 'Vern' Poh from URL @ 1:06 PM Matthew 6:22-27 25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? Fear = A distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid. I am very intrigued by this feeling we feel sometimes. It has aroused my curiousity and i was determined to find out more. We read that fear is the absence of faith. Fear and Faith cannot co-exist in our hearts. That is very true. However, vice versa, i personally don't think faith is the absence of fear. So though it is generally true, the famous saying, fear is the absence of faith, if we look at it closely it may mean a whole lot of difference. Roosevelt (FDR) famous speech - "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" is amazing. It changed the world. I've read that line many times but only recently did it leave an impact on me. It is true that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. They say fears are imagined. Sometimes it can get quite irrational. Though i still think fear can be really real, i have read again and again that 90% of the fears we experienced are imagined. Faith is illogical. Then i also do think that Fear is illogical since they are the 2 extremes. I have never once explained logically why i feared. I just fear. Even if i did explain myself, it wasn't logical enough to convince people that it's actually something quite fearful. I think it's pretty the same for most of us. Okay... 90% of those fears are imagined. That makes me really demoralized. How negative we are! So 10% would mathematically be the percentage of fear that is 'real'. I think so. But i don't want to overplay that. Maybe it's true. But in that 10%, substract the 6 to 7% or probability that we may just feel fear from real time circumstances, it is left with 3 to 4% of what i personally think is real danger. So i think i have to learn to deal with fear. Fear will come. As long as i fight the fight of faith, i fight the fight of fear too. Let me change my mentality today. F Zone & B Zone let's change our mentality today. Fear is not an enemy. Fear is a good friend. It's like one of those good friends that sharpens and competes with you. Make fear that feeling and it would be alright. Deconstruct fear. Productivity Guru Tim Ferris says that fear shows us what we shouldn't do more often than not it shows us what we exactly should do. So that's why fear is our good friend. He says we should just think of what could be the worst possible scenario? Then it is easy Most of the time the worst possible scenario would not be death (: Awesome, he just decoded fear for all of us And relax, it's not like all of us are freaks in bondage of fear. Most of us are so faithfilled. We should know this so we don't trip. April 17, 2009 When cheating eats in Ivan 'Vern' Poh from URL @ 2:42 AM i love soccer. you love soccer. we all love soccer. but when cheating kicks in. it eats us up. it is to funny. we can't play ball anymore. now i prefer to sit by the sidelines and laugh until i die i love soccer do you? April 15, 2009 Now i can... Ivan 'Vern' Poh from URL @ 7:35 PM Reinhold Niebuhr: Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime, Therefore, we are saved by hope. Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; Therefore, we are saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone. Therefore, we are saved by love. No virtuous act is quite a virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own; Therefore, we are saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness. Now i can be a history maker
Running in a different way Ivan 'Vern' Poh from URL @ 12:31 AM Exodus 3:6 I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob 140409 today is Dad's birthday. The Bible says God is the God of my father. I am happy that i serve a God that is about generations. I can see God's goodness and faithfulness over my family. God was faithful to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So too God is faithful to Dad. Suddenly it dawned on me that my future is amazing. God is the same yesterday to the previous generation, today to the current and tomorrow to the future. God is faithful to me. I spoke to a lad today. He has a lot of things going against him. He saw too much dysfunction in his previous generation. He called me while i was having dinner with Dad. He was sad about his family. I was happy about my family. A world apart over a simple phone line. I was lost. But somehow i know that it will all be good. All because God is a God of generations. He is the same yesterday to the previous generation, today to the current and tomorrow to the future. He is good to that young lad. He is good to that young lad's family. I believe that God is faithful to him. Our God is faithful. If He is faithful to generations, He is faithful to us. Don't worry. I had questions. The young lad have questions. Once i knew God is/was faithful, my questions disappeared. My future is amazing because my God is faithful. Your future is amazing. Start running in a different way now. Your life is amazing. April 13, 2009 Today stands for more Ivan 'Vern' Poh from URL @ 12:51 AM Proverbs 25:28 Whoever has no rule over his own spirit Is like a city broken down, without walls. Rule your spirit. Smile. Walk upright. Project our voice. Engage. Today is the day the Lord as made. Therefore we should rejoice in Today. Today stands for potential. It stands for great memories. Today encapsulates yesterday and seals it in our hearts and minds. Today's value is placed in our hands. I determine the value of Today. Rule means Will. I will means I will rule. The will is very powerful. The will causes us to rule. God has given us a will for a purpose. That will is for us to exercise ruler-ship. That means innately we have an inclination to rule. It is only natural that we rule. We are fish in water when we do. We are fish out of water when we don't. When you don't rule, you get stepped all over. You're a city without walls. There is no boundary, there is no guideline. You are restless. You are floating. You get knocked. You adjust. You become a thermometer. You react. You are a stained piece of white cloth. We're the city on a hill. The light that shines ever brightly. The flame that kindles. We are the salt that makes the whole meal taste a little better. We are the salt of the earth. We are supposed to increase the value and taste of a day. Some Christians subtract from Today. Some add. Some multiply. Interestingly, some also react. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. It is seen. It is obvious. It is in the face. When we don't rule our spirits and emotions we become a forfeited city. Rejoice in Today. The joy of the Lord is my strength. Ruler-ship and Joy are the antidote to a bad spell. They are the saviors of a forfeited city. I want to be a city that shines. A city that is recognized. A representation of my God. My day reflects the craftsmanship of God because he made today. Have a great today. You live from today to today. Make today beautiful and amazing. Exalt and glorify God with your day. Have a great day. April 9, 2009 A whole new meaning Ivan 'Vern' Poh from URL @ 9:20 PM Psalm 100 has a new meaning to me. I just texted one of the zone f guys and his family is struggling. It is in a mess. He is young, He has a life ahead of him. He is too exposed to all these complications. He just listens, he doesn't know what to do. He continues to serve God and put a smile on his face. A little bit of that joy has sifted away. But I pray that it will not affect him but that it will make him strong; that he will be renewed in strength and joy as he emerge the trial. I thank God as Good Friday and Easter approaches. I thank God because He died for us on the Cross and He removed all these complications, pressure and stress. I thank God that He died for the young people in zone f and He died for me. This Easter is going to be amazing. It will be special. Once upon a time, my family was just like this young lad. He is the middle of the rough terrain and the complications. But God has redeemed my family out of bondage, out of sin and into His promise. This Good Friday, Mum is getting baptised, Elgin and Brenda too. Psalm 100 is a Psalm of praise for God's faithfulness to His people. If God can move in my life, God can move in that young lad's life. 1 Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 3 Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. Psalm 100 has a new meaning. It says that "His truth endures to all generations." Pontius Pilate asked what truth is... Many people ask what truth is... I ask what truth is... God's truth is prosperity. God's truth is faithfulness. God's truth is shelter. God's truth is blessing. God's truth is purpose & destiny. God's truth is to raise us up. God's truth is to redeem our families. This is the truth that endures all generations. Families will be redeemed in Jesus' name. The young lad's family will be redeem. This is God's truth. It has become my truth. It is my truth. It will become the young lad's truth. It will become your truth. As my family gets baptized tomorrow, this truth will become their truth. The Lord is good. His mercy endures forever. He is the Lord God. He made us and not ourselves. Discover the truth in your lives. April 8, 2009 Psalm 99 Ivan 'Vern' Poh from URL @ 1:04 AM This afternoon i was able to leave camp earlier. I got home and did a couple of dated work and then i decided to pray. I couldn't help it but praise and thank God for all that He has done. Praises were just flowing out of me for my God. I was and am so touched by all the things that He has done. I was touched. I was, feel really affirmed. I am very happy. I thank God for His great promises. Today God was exalted. Tomorrow God needs to be restored to the highest place. We've got to worship Him and put Him in the right place. And that's were i feel only the Bible has the right words in doing so. Psalm 99 1 The LORD reigns; Let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; Let the earth be moved! 2 The LORD is great in Zion, And He is high above all the peoples. 3 Let them praise Your great and awesome name— He is holy. 4 The King’s strength also loves justice; You have established equity; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. 5 Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His footstool— He is holy. 6 Moses and Aaron were among His priests, And Samuel was among those who called upon His name; They called upon the LORD, and He answered them. 7 He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar; They kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them. 8 You answered them, O LORD our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, Though You took vengeance on their deeds. 9 Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His holy hill; For the LORD our God is holy. My God is Holy. He is exalted. He's beautiful. We've got to understand that He's amidst a holy hill. That's His position. I've got to get to the holy hill. Praying is that place. But praying being holy as God is holy is a different place altogether. I want to be all of this... I've got to worship God being even more holy, pure and christ-like. Then only, can i exalt my God to the rightful place. It's like the students of a school reflects the school. I want to reflect God in this Psalm 99 way. Chains are broken Fear is torn apart Anxiety has disappeared There is courage There is no insecurity There is faith There is boldness There is everything that i am not April 5, 2009 craving Ivan 'Vern' Poh from URL @ 10:37 PM Blackberry is addictive. Once you have it, you never want to use anything else. If it's within your budget and it's practical for you, get it! I showed off to Dad and he's getting one. It makes me happy. Not the gadget because i'm no gadget guy. But i saw the news of arsenal beating man city on my BB and i was over the moon. You'll never not see soccer on this blog. Friday we went to chomp chomp and we ate all but seafood. Pretty amusing huh... I just found out i ate all the wrong stuff at chomp chomp. Should have tried tau huay. Service today was just great. Period. And i am really hungry and craving for ice cream (:
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