Submission :S

Hi guys, I just felt like blogging here for awhile, even though I've still got to so some research, disgusting research. *retches*

Anyway, my research topic is, currently(don't know it it'll change), on house churches in China. FOr those who know me well, you'll know that I have a strange fascination with people or groups that have the courage to defy authority, for a cause they believe is good. SOmething about their non-conformism(ugh, vocab) and passion that drives their actions just awes me, maybe it's because I don't have any courage myself.

I've been meaning to reflect on our sunday school classes every sunday and post my thoughts here, although I usually end up with more questions than answers, and even if I DO answer some questions, they usually aren't very logically sound anyway, because I'm not a very rational person to begin with.

Today's lesson was about the evils of society, and thereafter we dove into the theme of 'submission'. Submission for me takes 2 forms, to submit through actions, and to submit with your heart. I always thought that when the Bible said submission, they meant the former, because how is it possible to streamline your thoughts with that of the authority's?

There's the problem of having more than one opinion to submit to, those of which might even clash with each other(say, your father and mother have different opinions and things they want you to do). What do you do then, supposing they both mean well?

And then there's also the difficulty of submitting with your heart. For me, because I jsut can't seem to stop questioning everything, even my own thoughts, so arriving at a conclusion sometimes takes monthsm, years, and even then I question my own conclusion. So theoretically speaking, to submit wholeheartedly, I must need a lifetime then, even for the most mundane issues.

Somehow I still don't understand submission. What do you mean, to submit? Today, someone pointed out that submission is also to agree with the other party. But what if you really really don't, and have strong reasons to believe so, even if you don't say it outright?

In that scenario, which I often face, I always thought submission was to accept the other persons views, yet still keep your own. FOr instance, to agree that their points make sense, and to agree about the issue from their perspective, but also to agree about it your own way, from your perspective. You can agree with both can't you? I often do, it's how gray areas form. Is that still submission then? And then, what do you agree on? DO you agree that a certain thing is right? Or do you agree that the other party means well and hence you have to submit.

I know you should talk things through with the other party then. And people ask, well Kerryn, why don't you just clear up the misunderstanding between the 2 people and all will be fine? Such an easy way out for compeldx situations. It's not as simple. It's not as easy for me to get my points across because others always seem to misinterpret them or find them absurd when they can't understand what I mean. It's not that they find that my points don't make sense. THey don't even really get what I'm trying to say, and just guess and assume my intentions, which lead to even more misunderstandings. And I've already tried to articulate them the best way I can.

For me, the meaning of submission is still quite vague. In my system of values, submission merely meant to give in, to give way. But sighs, it's so hard to be a good person, when even the definition of good is being questioned.

Well, that was cathartic.

hello!

Hi everyone, this is Huihan here.
Oh yes I know Kerryn will be happy to see someone still alive and actually posting here.

Yup anyway, the previous blogskin is horrendous (with all the bandwidth exceeding and stuff), so I changed it to this. You can change it to something else if you guys like, seeing how I just retained all the basic things and yeah.

And welllll good luck to those who are still having their 'A's! (I just checked my senior's personal message and I don't think it ended haha.)

See you all this Sunday! :)

Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibition

Hello Peeps.

Theres a Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibition at the Arts House from 27 August to 20 September, anyone interested? Maybe for a class outing or something. Prices are pretty steep, but it'll be a good experience. If not, does anyone want to go with me? (At most I go alone or something)

More information on this website :

http://www.livinglegacy2009.com/eng/index.html

Have a nice day!

(Ok, that was a bit random)

Psalm 84

Psalm 84 (New International Version)

For the director of music. According to gittith. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. ^a]">[a]

¹ How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty!

² My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.

³ Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

⁴ Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Selah

⁵ Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

⁶ As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools. ^b]">[b]

⁷ They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

⁸ Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, O God of Jacob.
Selah

⁹ Look upon our shield, ^c]">[c] O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.

¹⁰ Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

¹¹ For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

¹² O LORD Almighty,
blessed is the man who trusts in you.

The choir will be presenting a song based on Psalm 84 next week. Listen out for the lyrics and the tune. Personally, it really touches my heart and brings out the yearning in my heart for heaven, where God promises no more tears and suffering, and the enjoyment of His presence forevermore.

And since this was so, I read up a little on the Psalm. I hope I can explain a bit of it to you guys and let you guys appreciate the Book of Psalms in the Bible... which is really the outpouring of praises and prayers to God from the David and other Israelites.

The psalmist was somewhere else and could not come to God in His temple to worship Him. To the Israelites, it was very important to do so and to someone who LOVED God, it would have been very sad for him and he yearned to be in God's presence. (v 1-4)

In v5-8, the psalmist turns his focus on those who were on pilgrimage worship God. The Valley of Baca was a dry and arid place and was also known as the Valley of Weeping, because it was such a hard and tough road to travel. But the tears of these pilgrims turned it into a place of spring and God blessed them with autumn rain. And finally, they see the God of their soul's yearning face to face-- what a comfort!

v10 is indeed what all of us should feel towards the world-- it is infinitely better to be a doorkeeper in the house of the LORD for a day than to be a thousand anywhere else in the tents of the wicked.

Christians walk the small and narrow way, and often it brings about many pain and suffering. Not just human suffering, but also spiritual mourning for those around us who don't love God and refuse His grace. But this psalm encourages us that God will turn our mourning into dancing; night into day!

My question for you is, do you yearn for the courts of the LORD? Do you echo the pslamist in v10, that it is better to be in the house of the LORD? Do you love God so much and long for His appearing, while hating evil?

I remember you all told me whenever we taught on sufferings that you are still young and haven't been through much. Well, now you are at least a year older. And I believe you are beginning to mature and see the world for what it really is. Let's place our hope in our LORD Almighty. His ways are perfect and His road may be tougher and more painful; but we have an eternity of joy ahead of us. Just us Jesus fixed his eyes on the cross and endured its shame for the joy set before Him, let us also run this race with perseverance and throw away all sin that hinders us!

My prayer for you, and myself, is that we may have this desire for God and love Him so much that we realise nothing is more important and precious to us than God Himself; not His miracles, not His provisions, but in God Himself.

As John Calvin puts it: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.Do you enjoy God?

-----

Anyway, good job at the Bible Quiz today. Hope you all learned much from it, just like I did. (We need to upgrade our level from pr sch... :P)

Okay kiddos, have a good week in school! Remember to come before God daily and seek Him!

- debra laoshi

I leave you with a beautiful youtube video:

Chinese version

the link is HERE!

CLASS OUTING

Hi everyone, here are some highlights of the class outing we had on 14 Mar 09. I dunno what the food faces mean... maybe esta can explain. Hope you guys had fun. Here's to another year of learning and growing together in God's word :)

2009

Don't you think our blog needs an update?

Because I really think it deserves one.

I know you guys come here regularly, don't kid me. We're just too plain lazy to sign in to blogger and update the class blog and after awhile since there's nothing fresh to read, there's nothing to comment on so the tagboard turns stagnant too.

This post is rather meaningless, but its just so I can see something new when I go to the class blog instead of that post from October 2008.



And since is the very first post of 2009, here's what we have to look forward to this year:

1. Prayer schedule. Not sure when its going to be, maybe only when Debra is teaching. Anyhow, we'll have it. If you want the prayer schedule up here please remember to update it weekly because the old one didn't really serve its purpose since we were all too lazy to strike out the names each week. Plus, people are always absent so it keeps changing.

2. QT Sharing from 1-2 people each week, a new activity initiated by Debra.

3. Bible Study on the book of Galatians. Sounds fun. We're got a whole book to look forward to!

4. In-church Bible Challenge thingy on the book of John.


I'm out of ideas and out of stuff to write, so see ya this Sunday!

***I agree that this post was competely unnecessary.