The shocking death by suicide of comedic actor Robin William has catalyzed some thoughts I am still musing about, the unexpressed grief that some people go through. We all need to be more sensitive, discerning even, but even then we would miss some still. Can you wrap your brain around the level of grief Williams was experiencing that would prompt him to take his own life? Imagine the trauma of losing a pregnancy or several pregnancies through miscarriage when none of your friends even know that you are or were ever pregnant. Compound this, in a Church you are a single woman but become pregnant after ‘tiefing a likkle piece’ (=engaging in premarital sex) and suffer a similar fate. Who could you dare ask for prayer support let alone empathy? Silent grief. Then consider having been raped or seduced by someone whom you trust and respect and whose reputation would… read more
Prayer
This evening I was driving home from work and listening to the Joy 1250 radio station. There was a Christian program hosting Joni Eareckson Tada, a Christian lady who in 1967–at the age of 17 years old–became quadriplegic due to a diving accident. She said something that encouraged me to share with you my experience of God’s faithfulness in answering prayers. She said that prior to the accident she prayed that God would deepen her relationship with Him, but that she did not expect it to happen this way—she wasn’t thinking ‘paralysis’! But God used her paralysis to answer her prayer and she is so much closer to Him today than she ever could. Ten years ago I prayed a simple sincere prayer. I asked God, “Lord, I want to experience the love You have for mankind. I don’t want to only experience Your love for me but I also… read more
Why do we watch YouTube videos? Why do we spend so much time on Facebook and Flickr? Why do we read so many Wikipedia articles? Why do we play our favorite sports and watch our favorite TV shows? Why do we talk to our friends on the phone? Why do we chat? Why do we work? Why do we go shopping? The answer to these questions is either because ‘we want to’ and/or ‘we love to.’ Why do we work? Maybe it’s not because we enjoy our work but because we want to work: we want to make money, and we want to have a career, and we want to have a promotion, and we don’t want to sit home all day long. Why do we play sports? Because we enjoy playing them, we enjoy competing, and we enjoy to spending time with our friends. And we want to be in shape! If… read more
Recently I went to a wedding and after the wedding my aunt asked me what I was looking for in a wife and I told her, “About four thingsâ€, without being specific. She laughed and said, “Only 4 things! I was looking for 40 things!†I am not concerned with my future wife’s education, body type, hair or eye colour, skin colour, ethnic background, or family history. I am not saying physical attraction is not important, it is important because God created us all with different looks and different preferences. And those different preferences help us make decisions; imagine how difficult life would be if you liked all things the same way! But what I am really interested in are: -Her mind: how she thinks; her wisdom; submitting her thoughts to the Lord by making His thoughts her thoughts; rejecting evil thoughts. -Her heart (and I don’t mean that blood… read more
There is something else I thought about the other day while walking to work. For years I prayed and cried for something I wanted God to do. But God in His infinite love and wisdom did not give me what I had asked for! If He did allow it to happen then I would have been absolutely miserable for the rest of my life! And you know what? Five years later while I was talking to Him about it I realized He did it because He loved me, and I thanked Him! Five years later I thanked Him! You know, if a stranger holds a public door for me for 2 seconds then I would thank him whole heartedly and without hesitation, yet I waited five years to thank my Savior and Heavenly Father for freeing me from an absolutely miserable life! This is a perfect example of the idolatry… read more
When I write I target a very small percentage of Christians. In this writing I am targeting even less–no more than a handful of ladies who are actually seeking to get closer to our Lord, to please Him, to live for Him a holy and blameless life. I am seeking those few ladies who are asking, “What can I do to get closer to Him? What can I do to be more like Him? What can I do to take my faith to the next level.†Let me tell you a story: Few years ago I was working in a warehouse as a general laborer. One day after I finished my lunch I decided to go sit in the warehouse reading my Bible for few minutes before my lunch time is over. So I sat on a box and I opened my Bible and prayed to the Holy Spirit to… read more
I am not doubting the sincerity of Christian women’s love for Christ, and so I am not saying that those Christian women who dress immodesty are doing it because they hate Christ. But the Bible does not say we are perishing because our lack of love, no, it says we are perishing because of our lack of knowledge: “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. ‘Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.’†(Hosea 4:6) Also, when you love someone you have to love that person the way they want and need. For example, if my wife wants to go to a certain restaurant but I take her to the restaurant I like then I have not expressed love toward her. So it is the same with Christ: we… read more
Now, here is what I think are some of the reasons immodesty is such a big sensual problem in the church today: 1) I believe, the biggest problem with immodesty is that it is a very well disguised idolatry. Anything that we replace God with to make us feel whole, to fulfill us emotionally, to make us feel wanted and desired, to lift our self-image, to make us reach our goals (such as attracting a husband-to-be), or to make our lives feel complete is an idol. For example, a man does not lust for the sake of lusting: a man lusts because momentary this physically attractive woman makes him feel a satisfaction he hasn’t fulfilled with his relationship to Christ. The same applies to other sins such as getting drunk–nobody gets drunk to make a fool of himself—people get drunk to escape a reality they do not like because they… read more
I was so pleased when I saw this group of youth dancing for the Lord on stage at the 2011 Jesus in the City parade in Toronto. I was particularly glad because the dancers were dressed so modestly, and so they looked so beautiful—more beautiful than any lady I have seen in a long while. Sadly, modesty was not the norm at this event: there was a worship group from Ottawa composed of two ladies who were dressed so immodesty that I didn’t photograph them (I didn’t even watch them), because I would’ve been nearly impossible for me as a photographer to edit their photos to make them acceptable with Christianity’s teaching about modesty. There was also another two ladies in the crowd who I avoided standing behind them because they wore such tight pants (both, to avoid temptation and to avoid photographing them), and so you can imagine my… read more
Eight years ago I took a sexual purity online course, and it was the best Christian teaching I got. It was a daily online course for two months and I loved every day of it. One thing though I disagree with them is that they said many members who do not follow the precautionary rules (such as: move your computer to an open space in the house, or install Internet filtering software, or acquire an accountability partner, etc) fall back into sin even though they were free from it for a period of time. The problem I have with that statement is that I believe a person is only truly free if he is free on the inside through being set free by the power of the Holy Spirit. I think the best way to explain this topic is by talking about what it means to be born-again and what… read more
I personally like when people are honest with me and point out my faults, so that I know my weaknesses and I can submit those weaknesses to Christ through prayer. That’s why I find the sermons of Dr. Charles Stanley, Paul Washer, and Billy Graham attractive, because they are effective. Of course I didn’t enjoy all honest and Biblical sermons because God used them to require change in me; it is very difficult to submit an area of weakness to Him to direct us through the change process. I can remember sermons of Dr. Stanley I listened to that I thought I would never need because I would never come across that situation, yea, right! that same sermon came in so handy a couple of years later! The same thing with reading the Bible…I read the Bible few times and some verses didn’t really apply to my situation, but they… read more
Personally, I’ve found a peace that I haven’t had for a long time. For nearly the whole summer I have been struggling through my salvation. After I began to really take the Bible seriously, I went through an intense season of examining my life to see if I was on the right path. It wasn’t necessarily a fun time but I learned a lot of valuable things such as perseverance and I grew in knowledge. During the past few weeks things became more intense, prayer became more intense, and now God has granted me peace about it. I think that most of it came from a deeper understanding of the Spirit. I wasn’t sure if I had it before, now I’m certain. For those of you who don’t know, I live in a place called Cranbrook. Right now God is really moving here, it’s really cool to see and I’m… read more
This has been an interesting week, full of emotions. This week I experienced a friend lose his sister; his parents, lose their daughter. On Tuesday evening we (Justin and I) drove our friend out to Calgary to join his family. His sister had been in a car accident and the doctors were having trouble stabilizing her. We arrived about 1 in the morning and waited. The doctors told us around 3 that they had to wait until the morning until they could do anything more. We grabbed a hotel for the night and In the morning we returned to the hospital. That morning the doctors informed the family that it was over, their 17-year-old daughter had passed away. It was one of the most heart-breaking things I’ve ever witnessed, watching my friends parents say goodbye to their daughter. It was a terribly sad moment, but it was one that was… read more
What does it mean to be a follower of Christ? That’s what I’ve been working out over the past few months. I know it’s a lifelong process but I think it’s important to earnestly seek this out right now. And the answer to this question is so important. We only have one chance at this life and then we face death. And there are only two options for eternity (that’s forever bro), Heaven or Hell.I think the thing that has been bothering me most about North America is that we all seem to assume that we’ve been called to be rich. Really? Did you really spend time in prayer and fasting, seeking God’s direction for your life and then came to the conclusion that He wants you to be rich? Or do you just want to be called to be rich. And when we pursue success (in the eyes of… read more
Road trip! Map, cellular telephone, written directions, friends to take turns driving and a tank full of gasoline. You prepared for the journey and went your way knowing that you would reach your destination. On the way everything was fine, until you took that wrong turn. You then had to adjust your plans and make every effort to get back on the right route to your destination. Have you ever been in that position or heard of a similar situation? When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and commiteth iniquity, he shall even die thereby. ~Â Ezekiel 33:10 He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness ~Â Psalm 23:3b Your Christian walk is similar to that journey, in that, you cannot afford to make the wrong turn. The word of the Lord clearly outlines the Path to Salvation. We are even warned not to make wrong turns. As a servant of God… read more
The end of December 2010 was probably the craziest time of my life. After getting home from Bible school I told God to do whatever He needed so that I could fully live for Him. I found out that is a very dangerous prayer. Through circumstances I was brought to a place where my whole future (that I had planned) was gone. I was left in a broken state and I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t have anywhere to turn but Him. So that’s what I did. I vividly remember curling up into a ball and just crying out for God to take the pain away. It wasn’t a physical pain but it sure felt like it. The next few weeks went by slowly and I didn’t feel like I was making progress in life. But I just kept my focus on God and eventually I began to… read more
I went for a walk alone downtown and I spent it pretty much talking to the Father. When I reached the harbor front I was very pleased with the beautiful scene of the full moon and its light reflection on the water. But deep inside my heart was heavy as I had many worries. So I decided to walk back and keep talking to the Father, then I thought, “Why so busy and always in a rush? Sit down for few minutes, rest, relax, enjoy the scene and focus on your prayer.†So I sat down looking at this serene sight, and I started praying again but my worries were still there–I still didn’t have inner peace. Then I decided to pray the words of John the Baptist in John 3:30 “He must become greater; I must become less.†So I prayed those simple words with all my heart fully… read more
Beautiful Images in Remembrance of 911: Who would have thought that an airplane would be used as a weapon against the citizens of America? People woke up to a regular day, to the hustle and bustle of life, not expecting anything but the normal routine, but the terror acts of a few changed our lives in many ways. Whether you were in New York or on the other side of the world, you could not watch the images of the planes crashing into the towers and not be shocked, outraged and disgusted at the devastation and massive loss of lives displayed before our eyes. As we reflect on the events of this day, say a prayer for the families that were affected by this tragedy, pray also for those that would orchestrate such terrible acts. [sociallocker] But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do… read more
The children of Israel had strayed away from God and taken up the worship of idols. Jehu was chosen and anointed to clean the idols and all those who worshipped Idols out of Israel. He did, however he did not leave the ways of sin behind. Instead He continued to dishonor God and do wrong in His sight. And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jer-o-bo’am, which made Israel to sin. 2 Kings 10:30-31 Once we have come into a new… read more
These photos are just a small snippet of Creation, they show the awesome Power and Magnificence of God. Take some time to look around your environment and you will see His handy work. Thank Him and Praise Him for what He has done. Our prayer is that you will draw closer to Him and your relationship will be strengthened. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.,And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the… read more
I had a friend whom I truly loved with all my heart. If she would’ve asked for my eyes I would’ve given them to her easily. Anyway, in early 2007 she ended our friendship and that hurt me deeply since she was my best and only close friend. One day as I was going to work I felt so sad, so rejected, so betrayed, so humiliated, so ugly, so worthless, so stupid, so bitter, was so full of hatred and vengeful, and angry. I literally dragged my feet to work but as I entered the warehouse I decided that this is not me: I am a child of the living God, I haven’t been following Christ until now only to give in to bitterness and unforgiveness, I am the man who everybody asks, “Why are you so happy?†and now I was so bitter, sad, and angry. I decided that… read more
I think all of us have two sides to our personalities: sometimes we are out going and sometimes we like to be alone; sometimes we like classical music and other times we just want to listen to electric guitar; sometimes we like change and sometimes we don’t. Generally speaking I love routine, I don’t like change; however, in my relationship with God I like change for many reasons: 1) The word ‘relationship’ is an active and dynamic word to me. For example, we cannot have a meaningful conversation with someone—and know that person personally–if we keep repeating the same dialogue to them every day. 2) God’s goal for our lives, and it should be our goal too, is to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ. And we all know He is perfect and so if we keep growing spiritually every day for the rest of our… read more
I want to define the word “pure†before I go on because like the word “sensual†we have a distorted idea of what it means. Imagine a bath tub full of clean water…let’s say it is made of 50,000 water drops. Now take 1 drop of black ink and drop it in it: is the water in the bath tub still considered to be clean? The answer is no, it is not. The biggest problem with lust in North America is that North Americans don’t have an accurate view of what an immoral, sexual, and sensual sin is! Christian girls think that wearing tight jeans is actually dressing godly! Or that showing a little cleavage is actually dressing modestly! Christians think having a girlfriend or boyfriend who they are not planning to get married to, nor ready to get married, nor know God’s will in this matter, holding hands, or… read more
I am going to talk about a topic most would consider to be very sensitive, and that is, pornography. So if you don’t feel comfortable reading about it please stop whenever you like to. I will talk about it from my personal experience and will not to focus on porn or talk about it in details, as my goal is not to assist others to indulge in sin but to glorify God for the freedom He has given me. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Luke 4:18-19 First of all I want to say that talking about being addicted… read more