Deadly

A man who deceives his friend and then says "I was only joking!" is like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows.

Proverbs 26:18,19 (paraphrased)

For weeks now, this verse has been bugging me day and night. I have been thinking so much about its truth and, yes, it's prevalence in my own life!! Oh, how often have I said something crass or stupid or meaningless, even sarcastic, followed by those very words "Oh, I'm just kidding!" Usually it is said with a half-laugh (if there is such a thing) and the wave of the hand gesturing like it's not a problem. Verdict? GUILTY!

It is so easy, isn't it, to just wave it off and insist that it was a joke. OK, sometimes it IS an obvious joke, and it may be very funny too. But seriously, how many times have we employed sarcasm to make a point, and then wave it off hoping to diffuse the offence by saying that we were only kidding?

That verse says that those who say it is like a madman shooting arrows that kill. Words like that can leave painful scars on a person, much like a firebrand on an animal. More and more, I am convinced that I have to be so careful with my words, and even more so with my jokes. Coz you know, one day, we'll all be accountable for what we have done on this earth and that includes the words that come out of our mouths. On that day, we will be asked if we spoke life into others, or if we used our tongues to tear and destroy. What will your answer be?

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SMILE!

Ahh. The Smile. Have you ever wondered about how powerful a smile can be? I have come to believe that anyone can smile, and when they do, they look beautiful. A genuine smile, even a laughter that comes out of joy and sheer delight is perhaps one of the most beautiful and meaningful contributions a person can give to the world.

Like I said, I'm talking about the ever elusive and hard-to-get genuine smiles. These days, it does seem like not many people give those out a lot anymore, except for in church. It's not one of those you showed your mom or dad to get out of trouble. Not one of those smiles you give hoping to the driver in front of you know you didn't mean it when you accidentally honked at him. Not one of those cheesy smiles for the camera (unless it's genuine), and definitely not the ones in front of the mirror when you floss. The genuine ones. The ones that comes from the heart. The ones that crease up your face and make your eyes small. The ones that last for a while even after you've given it away. The ones that say "I'm happy" and you know it's true. The ones that radiate the joy that God gives, the peace that Holy Spirit brings into your life... These are the ones that I'm talking about.

Let's take this a notch higher...no matter how ugly you think you are, if you put one of those genuine smiles on your face you look beautiful. I have been to the old folks homes many times. I don't mean to be mean, but grumpy old people are really not very pleasant folks. Then there are those who are just happy on the inside, and they have no problem showing it on their faces regardless of how toothless of wrinkled they are. You know, the smiles they give when they start sharing happy memories of the simplest joys of life, when they remember their children and their grandchildren. Those smiles melt the heart and warm the soul. Those smiles tell stories of lives that mattered. Those smiles are beautiful.

So smile, and let your beauty within shine out. Let's make this world a more genuine and friendlier place.


10:12 pm >>> Following up on what I said earlier, something really ironic just happened...after posting, I was surfing on another page, and right in front of me was this banner ad to www.smiletrain.org. Here I am posting about how beautiful a smile is and smack right in front of me is the opportunity to do something about smiles (not mine, if you noticed). According to the site, the mission of The Smile Train, a non-profit organization, is to provide free cleft surgery for millions of poor children in developing countries and offer training to local doctors and medical professionals. Their promo video brought me to tears. I personally know a couple of people who've had cleft surgeries, and on trips to native villages in Malaysia I've met a few kids who have this condition, so I guess I can say that I do understand a little about how important it is to get clefts corrected.

According to The Smile Train, a gift amount of $250 provides cleft surgery for one child. That's actually quite a bit of money for me----> So I just had this coolest idea--I think it's cool--I can't really afford to donate to The Smile Train on my own, and since I really want to give anyway, I'm throwing it out there to those who wanna share a {one-time-$250-donation} with me. You can let me know via email or comment on THIS BLOG and i'll get in touch with you. You can also let me know via Facebook; if you dont have a FB account, get one. It's shnazzy. Or even better, you can just give me the money in person.

Here's my pledge: I'm only gonna do this within the next 2 weeks, ending Sunday, August 3, 2008. If there is no $250 by then, I will return all the money I've collected. But once I've gathered $250 I will donate to The Smile Train via credit card and I will email the receipt to all those who contributed to this effort. If you're wondering why I'm collecting the money instead of you, well, it's coz I thought of this idea, and it's my 'baby'. I promise I'm not gonna swindle or run away with your money. Boy Scout's honor [3-finger-salute].

So for starters, I'm putting $25 in the bank for The Smile Train. Anyone else?

Cataclysmic!

If I had to describe what happened this week, it would be that God forever changed lives, touched hearts, and transformed Trinityouth into 'another animal' as Pr Jude says, or something else; an actual, living organism that knows His love and lives for His glory.

We went for YFN (Youth For the Nations) Camp again, this year with 30 of our young people. By the end of the week, I could sense such an anointing on their lives. When young people are saturated in the presence of God, they show so much promise in them! There's so much in them that shines because their hearts are illuminated by Holy Spirit and their souls set ablaze. Only into the second day of camp, their hands are already shot into the sky and voices blasting away in worship!

I remember telling the boys that night, the second night, when we were in the church kitchen, that I really felt God told me He was gonna set each on of them on fire, the girls as well. Their lives will never be the same again. Their passion and zeal for God will be fiery, and they will infect their families and friends with the presence and the power of God.

By the end of camp, just within our group, we had about ten youth baptized in Holy Spirit and their tongues rolling in a new prayer language and others set free from their sin and shame, set free to dance and use their bodies as worship unto God, eyes opened to see how important their lives are and how much is at stake as the devil tries everything to steal, kill, and destroy their generation. Some of them experienced God for the first time, realising how much they are loved by Him. Some of them were delivered from demonic oppression and possession and overcame haunting spirits of the past by the power of blood of the Lamb and the testimony of His saints.

Dear God, raise up a generation that will seek You face! Let Your holy flame burn passionately in them for You...let this be the beginnings of a fresh work You are doing in our young people, our church, and our generation. Pour out Your Spirit, God, on Your sons and daughters! Set us aflame to reflect Your glory and do Your will on this earth!! Amen!