Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Invisible Children

My Tribute to the Invisible Children in Uganda

I wrote the song below as I was thinking and imagining myself as a child soldier who was kidnapped by the LRA and turned into a killing machine. My first reaction after watching this documentary was utter disgust at how children, little, naïve, and beautiful children were abducted and brainwashed to murder, slaughter, kill, and destroy. My heart broke for them. I would have never have thought of it. Never. Abducted, yes, I could picture that. Beaten, yes, I know it happens. But to be exposed as young as five years of age to violence such as murder with knives, machetes and guns, forced to do so, and then to be threatened likewise if they tried to escape; made me sick to my stomach.

They were taught not to cry, not to be weak, or they would be killed. One of the boys who escaped from the LRA said “We don’t cry, but they don’t know what is inside our heart.” Yet it is not difficult to imagine their initial hidden emotions that soon become lost deep within them. Who, then, can rescue them? How, then, will these children ever truly know what is right anymore? Who can ever understand the terror, shock, and horror? Who can sympathize with the pain, grief, and sorrow?

Only Jesus can.


Invisible

They took away my family
They stole me from my life
No one else would find me
No one else would try
I was trained to murder
They taught me it was right
To laugh when someone suffered
They taught me not to cry

When no one else was looking
When everyone was hiding
Could no one hear me shouting
Will someone please do something

They
Desensitized me
Demoralized me
Programmed and they hypnotized me
Made me kill my friend beside me
Addict me to the blood that I see

Please
Liberate me
Alleviate me
Loose me from this evil in me
Help me see what I cannot see
Release me from this war and set me free

Thursday, March 23, 2006

wind

"i can see the effects of the wind, but i cant see the wind"

not being able to see the wind doesnt mean that wind doesnt exist. by the way, first time i heard that was in DCtalk's song Jesus Freak.

in the same way, just because we cant see God doesnt mean he doesnt exist. His works are seen everywhere! He is evident in creation! He is evident through miracles! He is evident in the hearts of those who believe in Him!

If you do not receive God, it is because you do not see him or know Him (John 14:16-17) but see, the only way we can say we know God is when we are willing to say, "Lord i'm willing to see you, even though i cant physically see you." Then when he reveals Himself to us, we cant help but say, "my Lord! My God!"

as Christians, we may be the first picture of God that people will ever see. Some people will never come to know Christ, if not for Christ who lives in you. Paul said "it's no longer i that live, but Christ that lives in me, and this life i live in the flesh, i live by faith to the glory of Christ who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galations 2:20, my paraphrase)

For the GLORY OF CHRIST. How will others see God unless they first see Him in me? makes me think about why God created man and woman in His image. question is, as we look at and interact with other people, will they see God in us?

come on, somebody. Lets live lives worthy to be called followers of Christ ...to know Him and to make Him known.

Monday, March 20, 2006

Windy.

very windy today. i welcome the sunshine and the wind, especially since it has been raining cats and dogs the last couple of days. last week was Spring Break, but i worked all week at the office.

in the last 2 weeks, i've had guests come stay at my apartment. first, Chuck and Danielle drove all the way for last month's Night of Worship in CFNI. Mr Chuck stayed in the apartment, while Danielle got to bunk in with Pheng. then about a week later, Michel came from ORU to visit. it was so good to see him and hang out, pray with him. and then last Friday, Pr Mike also came. He's still here, he'll be leaving for a conference in Tennesee on Wednesday...but it's been so refreshing to have them all as guests! definitely kills the monotony of the wakeup-school-eat-homework-sleep routine.

so yeah, i've been genuinely busy, no kidding! think about it! one of the most common phrases in today's world is "I'M TOO BUSY." sometimes i wish i just have more time for friends, and definitely more money, of course, but only to spend it with my friends. of course lah, it's all just talk. i'm also trying to save for my next semester. how can it be possible to spend it all on friends? but you know what's worst? when you're wanting to spend on someone, and the offer is adamantly refused.

oh well...hafta get back to work. I'm too busy.

Friday, March 03, 2006

song of prayer...

i woke up with Sarah McLachlan singing in my head her rendition of the St Francis' prayer.



The Peace Prayer of Saint Francis

"O Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace!
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is discord, harmony.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sorrow, joy.

Oh Divine Master, grant that I may
not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life."



see [here] and [here] for more info on the prayer.

overdue

here are some pics of the apartment i'm staying in i told some of you guys i'd post since forever. it's pretty artsy, as you can tell! photos courtesy of Seul-Kee, my Korean roommate and buddy!



this is the view of the living room from the front door. the room you see is our study and guestroom. our bedroom is the next room to the left.






Dining area in the kitchen. that little yellowish thing on the far right is the dinostove and oven. it's so old, thats why it's YELLOW! and we covered the fridge with photos coz it was all scratched up! crazy huh!





our bedroom. my blue queensize is on the left, and Seul-Kee's on the right. i actually found mine along the corridor of our apartment complex; someone had left it out there coz they didnt want it. so i take lah, and what a blessing! God knew i needed a bed! i was prepared to sleep on the floor till i saved up to buy a mattress.










this is our bathroom. so gayaaaaa right? hehehhee!









and this is Seul-Kee, my extraordinary roommate! and the other 'person' you see is Tommyboy. Shad and Stephanie from Ohio gave him to me as a farewell gift before i came back to Dallas. he's pretty cool too; doesnt say a word, and sits still all day. no bother at all.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

introspection

i'll be honest here...

sometimes when i think about the costs of following Christ and what i'm going through in life, i get hopeless, overwhelmed and depressed. but that's not good enough an excuse to stop following Christ. the fact is, there is NO excuse, and there will never be one...

i must not give up. i will not give up. i will PREEESSSS ONNN!!

cheesecakes and chocolates will just have to wait.