The DVD is out! Bought it immediately and watched it with a few friends. It's absolutely full of gems.
Some of the main obvious themes: Destiny, Believe, Focus.
Upon reflection, realise that there were so many deep truths to uncover. Shifu discovered the tactic to train the Panda, using food. During the finale of the training, Shifu placed a bowl of dumplings and told the Panda 'You are free to eat' but snatched it away when he tried. In frustration, the Panda said 'AM I??' and Shifu's reply 'ARE YOU??' (Perhaps true freedom is not wanting what we want). Then they started fighting for the last dumpling. Eventually, the Panda won, but instead gave the dumpling back to Shifu and said 'I am not hungry.'
'Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life...'-John 6:27. I desire to seek God Himself, not His power nor even my own transformation. 'Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.'-John 6:35. I believe as I encounter the person of Jesus Himself, even seemingly godly things that I pursue will fade away for He truly satisfies. Like Panda, I'll gladly give up the dumpling as I have caught the big picture.
When the Panda confronted Shifu on how he is going to transform him, Shifu wrestled with himself and finally confessed 'I don't know!'. Coming to a place without any answers is perfectly fine! I want to learn how to say 'I don't know' when I have no answers and only preach what I practice.
The world gravitate towards charisma and abilities. Everyone (except WuGuai) was shocked that a Panda, a clumsy fellow with a gigantic tummy is the dragon warrior. God's ways are above ours and He chooses the weak to shame the strong. Shifu felt discouraged initially because he was trapped within his own expectations of his own disciples that he had been training for years. Wu Guai led him to surrender his illusion of control to release him to simply believe. Eventually, the Panda defeated TaiLong not in the usual arena of martial art skills, but literally his own gigantic tummy! We do not wage war as the world does and our fight is not against flesh and blood. The Panda won because he realised that there were no secret ingredients and who he was was what he had and needed. Thank God for our identity in Christ, our all sufficiency.
'There is no accident' can simply be a mere comfort statement. However, if anchored upon BELIEF in a sovereign God who works everything for the good of those who love Him, we realise that there are indeed no accidents as He fulfills His destiny in us. Something I caught from breakthrough weekend recently is that everyone messes up and we seem to take a ridiculously long time to learn and be transformed. Again, that is perfectly fine! I will continue to mess up, but as I grow in my intimacy with Him, I will realise that the simple faith and His grace is sufficient.
Tailong was driven by bitterness and power, with an underdyling need to know how proud Shifu was of him. Shifu shared how proud he was of Tailong from the beginning and how his pride and love blinded him of what Tailong was turning into. He then apologised and there was a glimpse of Tailong being touched before his anger overtook him again. Being driven by insecurity will led us to nowhere, pursuing a scroll which contains nothing. I have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing.
'Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."'-John 6:29.
Quotes
'There are no accidents'
'You are too concerned with what's what and what will be. There is a saying, yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift-that is why it is called Present'
'That is bad news IF you do NOT believe that the dragon warrior can stop him'
'The panda will never fulfill his destiny nor yours until you let go the illusion of CONTROL'
'Look at this tree, I cannot make it blossom when it suits me nor make it bear fruit before its time'
'Maybe it can, if you are willing to guide it, no nurture it, to BELIEVE it'
'But I need your help master!'....'No...you just need to believe'
'Whatever I did I did to make you proud, tell me how proud you are, TELL ME!'
'There is no secret ingredient'
'To make something special, you just have to believe that it's special'
Wednesday 26 November 2008
Monday 24 November 2008
After breakthrough weekend
Just came back from Covenant's breakthrough weekend. It's different from the Encounter weekends I attended in UK. Breakthrough Wkend was less structured with ample time for rest, personal solitude and group time.
Went to the weekend wanting simply to have a personal encounter with God (Simple faith).
Two weeks leading up to the weekend, my walk with God was more aligned through two areas from Andrew Murray's 'Abide in me', namely resting on the complete work of the cross and not my own spiritual strivings (Simple Faith) and depending on God's grace for living the victorious Christian life each passing moment at a time (Moment-by-moment Faith) instead of bearing the worries of tomorrow and fear of not being a perfect Christian for the rest of my life.
On the first night, Ps Edmund Chan asked those who believe that God was present to raise up their hands. I raised up mine without looking around or waiting for others and I thank God and celebrate that. Without that desire to build up that Simple Faith and God's preparation, those convicted hands might not have gone up. The statement 'A breakthrough is possible for me NOW' blessed me tremendously. It demonstrates how God has already been speaking to me and the weekend served as a round-up. During the altar call, I was focused on the finished work on the cross which made whatever breakthroughs possible.
An issue stood out when we were dealing with our history. It has to do with my poor self-worth because of my poor academic abilities. I experienced traumatic experiences in primary school because I was one of the poorest student. Until today, memories of me crying in class and how I feared teachers still remain. I could run and jump on Sports Day, but could not study. I remember my athletes teacher giving me a banner to encourage me in my studies because I was quite known for my poor academic results. I was posted to Chung Cheng High School (Branch), a below average school with only 2 Express classes. After which I was intending to attend Polytechnic, but had 16 points which enabled me to get into a JC. I was allocated Serangoon JC and appealed to get into Tampiness JC. My mindset is 'I had to appeal even to get into a JC near the bottom of the rankings'. I failed to get into NTU and went overseas. I did well in university and got offered a scholarship to do a PhD which I took up. It ended with a loud bang as my external examiner was from Imperial College and he noted that my thesis was one of the best he had ever read.
I used to feel something churning within whenever I hear or meet people from top schools. I often get envious of people whom I consider to be sharp and intellectual. After I became a Christian, my consolation was that these people do not know God and I do. However, I then struggled whenever I encountered godly people who are from top schools. Whenever someone mentions about being a lecturer, my instant reaction would be to share how academically weak I am. Whenever people marvel at my Phd, I feel a contradiction within and misunderstood.
Throughout my PhD, I know that the PhD was entirely from and of God. I reminded myself not to complain about my weaknesses since God is making a DR out of me. However, when I shared about this with my group during breakthrough weekend, I felt a sense of release and layers started to peel. I found myself again in awe of God's grace and love. When Ps Kai spoke about pride on Sat night, I realised that my sense of low self-esteem was rooted in the pride of wanting to be the best. I felt a sense of freedom as I started to renew my mind, that 'It's OK to not be the best'. Compared to many others who did not even attend JC, how can I say I am helpless at academia. More importantly, now that God has blessed me with this PhD with an ending which is exceedingly more than I imagined, how can I choose to reside in my pride of comparison and envy.
During the group time, I also confessed my sexual struggles on a deeper level as I ever had before. I experienced God's grace and love through the group as I felt accepted nonetheless. Through this breakthrough weekend, I realise on a deeper level the importance of a close community to share my life closely with.
I also applied the remove and replace principle in my struggle with pride with others. Instead of simply struggling to consider others better than myself (remove pride part), whenever I chose to realise how great a destiny God has for every individual (replace part), the comparison goes and there is a sense of joy.
All in all, I know I have met God in this breakthrough weekend.
Went to the weekend wanting simply to have a personal encounter with God (Simple faith).
Two weeks leading up to the weekend, my walk with God was more aligned through two areas from Andrew Murray's 'Abide in me', namely resting on the complete work of the cross and not my own spiritual strivings (Simple Faith) and depending on God's grace for living the victorious Christian life each passing moment at a time (Moment-by-moment Faith) instead of bearing the worries of tomorrow and fear of not being a perfect Christian for the rest of my life.
On the first night, Ps Edmund Chan asked those who believe that God was present to raise up their hands. I raised up mine without looking around or waiting for others and I thank God and celebrate that. Without that desire to build up that Simple Faith and God's preparation, those convicted hands might not have gone up. The statement 'A breakthrough is possible for me NOW' blessed me tremendously. It demonstrates how God has already been speaking to me and the weekend served as a round-up. During the altar call, I was focused on the finished work on the cross which made whatever breakthroughs possible.
An issue stood out when we were dealing with our history. It has to do with my poor self-worth because of my poor academic abilities. I experienced traumatic experiences in primary school because I was one of the poorest student. Until today, memories of me crying in class and how I feared teachers still remain. I could run and jump on Sports Day, but could not study. I remember my athletes teacher giving me a banner to encourage me in my studies because I was quite known for my poor academic results. I was posted to Chung Cheng High School (Branch), a below average school with only 2 Express classes. After which I was intending to attend Polytechnic, but had 16 points which enabled me to get into a JC. I was allocated Serangoon JC and appealed to get into Tampiness JC. My mindset is 'I had to appeal even to get into a JC near the bottom of the rankings'. I failed to get into NTU and went overseas. I did well in university and got offered a scholarship to do a PhD which I took up. It ended with a loud bang as my external examiner was from Imperial College and he noted that my thesis was one of the best he had ever read.
I used to feel something churning within whenever I hear or meet people from top schools. I often get envious of people whom I consider to be sharp and intellectual. After I became a Christian, my consolation was that these people do not know God and I do. However, I then struggled whenever I encountered godly people who are from top schools. Whenever someone mentions about being a lecturer, my instant reaction would be to share how academically weak I am. Whenever people marvel at my Phd, I feel a contradiction within and misunderstood.
Throughout my PhD, I know that the PhD was entirely from and of God. I reminded myself not to complain about my weaknesses since God is making a DR out of me. However, when I shared about this with my group during breakthrough weekend, I felt a sense of release and layers started to peel. I found myself again in awe of God's grace and love. When Ps Kai spoke about pride on Sat night, I realised that my sense of low self-esteem was rooted in the pride of wanting to be the best. I felt a sense of freedom as I started to renew my mind, that 'It's OK to not be the best'. Compared to many others who did not even attend JC, how can I say I am helpless at academia. More importantly, now that God has blessed me with this PhD with an ending which is exceedingly more than I imagined, how can I choose to reside in my pride of comparison and envy.
During the group time, I also confessed my sexual struggles on a deeper level as I ever had before. I experienced God's grace and love through the group as I felt accepted nonetheless. Through this breakthrough weekend, I realise on a deeper level the importance of a close community to share my life closely with.
I also applied the remove and replace principle in my struggle with pride with others. Instead of simply struggling to consider others better than myself (remove pride part), whenever I chose to realise how great a destiny God has for every individual (replace part), the comparison goes and there is a sense of joy.
All in all, I know I have met God in this breakthrough weekend.
Tuesday 11 November 2008
'Abide in me'
Starting on the 10 days of meditation leading to my first Breakthrough Weekend. First day is about yielding to God. Also reading Andrew Murray's 'Abide in Christ' and I have been blessed.
I could memorise hundreds of bible verses, spend hours of QT daily, spread the gospel to every stranger I see, yet not have an intimate relationship with God. Strangely though, aren't these meant to be the outworking of my faith? I realise I have been too caught up with the form and missed Christ. Funny thing is I have always considered myself to be one who is focused on the heart of the matter. Yet my insecurities and distracted mind reflect a lack of restedness within which can only come through abiding in Christ.
Andrew Murray writes
'Abiding in Him is not a work that we have to do as the condition for enjoying His salvation, but a consenting to let Him do all for us, and in us, and through us. Our part is simply to yield, to trust, and to wait for what He has engaged to perform.'
'And if the question is asked, 'But surely there is something for us to do?' the answer is, 'Our doing and working are but the fruit of Christ's work in us.' It is when the soul becomes utterly passive, looking and resting on what Christ is to do, that its energies are stirred to their highest activity, that we work most effectively because we know that He works in us.'
In much of my thoughts and discussions with people, I feel there is sometimes this invisible drift towards our efforts in being a Christian. Perhaps my mind gets distracted because of the tons of things I plan to do, even seemingly good things like MyHope Singapore, strengthening friendships. Jesus told his disciples not to be amazed at the fact they can cast out demons but rejoice that their names are written in the book of life. To abide in Christ, that's ALL I need to do. Perhaps I should not even use the word 'need to do', but to yield to Him.
I could memorise hundreds of bible verses, spend hours of QT daily, spread the gospel to every stranger I see, yet not have an intimate relationship with God. Strangely though, aren't these meant to be the outworking of my faith? I realise I have been too caught up with the form and missed Christ. Funny thing is I have always considered myself to be one who is focused on the heart of the matter. Yet my insecurities and distracted mind reflect a lack of restedness within which can only come through abiding in Christ.
Andrew Murray writes
'Abiding in Him is not a work that we have to do as the condition for enjoying His salvation, but a consenting to let Him do all for us, and in us, and through us. Our part is simply to yield, to trust, and to wait for what He has engaged to perform.'
'And if the question is asked, 'But surely there is something for us to do?' the answer is, 'Our doing and working are but the fruit of Christ's work in us.' It is when the soul becomes utterly passive, looking and resting on what Christ is to do, that its energies are stirred to their highest activity, that we work most effectively because we know that He works in us.'
In much of my thoughts and discussions with people, I feel there is sometimes this invisible drift towards our efforts in being a Christian. Perhaps my mind gets distracted because of the tons of things I plan to do, even seemingly good things like MyHope Singapore, strengthening friendships. Jesus told his disciples not to be amazed at the fact they can cast out demons but rejoice that their names are written in the book of life. To abide in Christ, that's ALL I need to do. Perhaps I should not even use the word 'need to do', but to yield to Him.
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