It is a dangerous thing to do things by yourself, especially doing the kind of things that would normally require the good company of friends. Watching a movie, going to a gig, dinners. Do too much of it and you are left with the toxic idea that you can get used to this, or worse, much rather prefer it that way.
I hate living dangerously.
Mere Mortality
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
at
10:43 PM
50/50, like some of the movies I watch, starts with a very superficial reason for wanting to watch it *cough* Anna Kendrick *cough*. Little did I know the point of the movie would soon work its way into my reality. And my recent talks with my mouse housemate on the topic of cancer brings to light even more of the complexities with dealing with some forms of aggressive cancer, both medically and psychologically. 50/50 is one of those movies that are inspired by true stories, in this case, the afflicted one was one of the writers. It captures some of the lighter side of things while not skimping on the weight of staring at the face of death. More often than not, the movie informs me how to handle cancer when a friend is the one going through it.
There is one scene in the movie where it speaks so strongly, where Adam found out that his some what jerk of a friend (but best friend) Kyle was reading a book on how to deal with a friend having cancer, out of sight aka. in the toilet. I would rather have that one friend who can be and sometimes is a total ass but wants to walk the walk in secret than it is to be surrounded by friends who are only there show that they care but not act like they do. I think that was pretty moving. Also the part where Adam finally snaps and stares face to face at his own mortality. That was amazing.
Just today at BSF, as an ice breaker question, we were asked if we would rather know the exact time of our death or the cause of our death. I think most people would have chosen the cause of their death so that they can try to avoid anything that will lead to their death. I, of course, chose the former. If I were asking the question, I would have asked a slightly different one. Would you rather die a quick but lonely death or a slow painful death with friends and family around you?
Now all of these questions are only teasers at best on what are we going to do when facing our own mortality when we still view our lives as nowhere near dropping dead. Most of the time we think about it for awhile, dwell on it and its ramifications and then continue on with living the lives that we were living as if the question had not been asked. Some experiences or thoughts about death can only be realised when the one closest to you or, God forbid, yourself starts playing a game of chess with Death. There is a hint of that while I was watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when Luna explained to Harry that he could see Thestrals because he had seen death.
What do you see about death? Do you try to extend your mortality only to know later that it is not a chase you can win, or do you take the words "carpe the hell of the diem", or do you take the Ecclesiastical stance of knowing what your duty is while you are living a life that is merely a thread on the time-space continuum.
***
I think my two year cycle is winding down to an end. Sad but not that it was entirely unexpected.
***
On a lighter note, just found out that one of my new colleagues is a Christian when she showed up for BSF through a mutual friend of ours. Pretty random.
There is one scene in the movie where it speaks so strongly, where Adam found out that his some what jerk of a friend (but best friend) Kyle was reading a book on how to deal with a friend having cancer, out of sight aka. in the toilet. I would rather have that one friend who can be and sometimes is a total ass but wants to walk the walk in secret than it is to be surrounded by friends who are only there show that they care but not act like they do. I think that was pretty moving. Also the part where Adam finally snaps and stares face to face at his own mortality. That was amazing.
Just today at BSF, as an ice breaker question, we were asked if we would rather know the exact time of our death or the cause of our death. I think most people would have chosen the cause of their death so that they can try to avoid anything that will lead to their death. I, of course, chose the former. If I were asking the question, I would have asked a slightly different one. Would you rather die a quick but lonely death or a slow painful death with friends and family around you?
Now all of these questions are only teasers at best on what are we going to do when facing our own mortality when we still view our lives as nowhere near dropping dead. Most of the time we think about it for awhile, dwell on it and its ramifications and then continue on with living the lives that we were living as if the question had not been asked. Some experiences or thoughts about death can only be realised when the one closest to you or, God forbid, yourself starts playing a game of chess with Death. There is a hint of that while I was watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when Luna explained to Harry that he could see Thestrals because he had seen death.
What do you see about death? Do you try to extend your mortality only to know later that it is not a chase you can win, or do you take the words "carpe the hell of the diem", or do you take the Ecclesiastical stance of knowing what your duty is while you are living a life that is merely a thread on the time-space continuum.
***
I think my two year cycle is winding down to an end. Sad but not that it was entirely unexpected.
***
On a lighter note, just found out that one of my new colleagues is a Christian when she showed up for BSF through a mutual friend of ours. Pretty random.
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Multiverse
Monday, February 16, 2015
at
12:01 AM
I am constantly amazed by how debilitating it is with "What if?" scenarios. Every once in awhile, one goes through this, whether it is deciding on a career move, a dive in the relationship pool, financial planning, theological uncertainty or an exercise in scientific rigour. We can be so paralysed by these scenarios, not even factoring in the decisions that come with these scenarios that it affects you for a long time, if not, the rest of your life. Either that we fear we make the wrong choices that ultimately leads to our undoing or live long enough to regret the tale.
Reminders of regrets come in many forms, some in an object like a bad deal of a house. Or the lack of an object like an empty bank account because we went all in for a "sure thing" that went south. But I think, the worst of them all comes in a form of a person. Whether it was a friend, a partner or a lover, just their very presence evokes so much feelings of regret. As much as you have move on from that regret, nothing short of the disappearance of the person will make the thoughts of regret go away.
(Ironically as I'm writing this, there are a bunch of drunk guys outside my house singing and I'm thinking whether they might regret their big night out on a Sunday)
I encounter people like that almost on a daily basis, one that resurrects my regrets and like clockwork, I go into the whole alternate reality role-play. What if I had done things differently? What if I did tell? What if I got terminal cancer (this one's my favourite)? And I would play them all like a recorded TV show simultaneously. I'd play them all to its logical end and I'll snap back to my own reality, feeling crappier than I was before my regrets surfaced.
Then I usually come to the conclusion that there is nothing likeable/loveable about me or anything good in the skills I have or in me. Then I will think about if the multiple universes theory is true, there must be a version of me that I would have not that regret. But will I be happy in this version of me? I suspect not, for there are many more regrets stored up for me in whatever version of me there is out there.
Regrets or rather the thought of regrets being evoked can only be resolved in one place and one place only. This is something that I must learn to do and rely on everyday. It is also the series that we are going through at church on happiness and the Beatitudes.
***
I've first heard of Lecrae when I was heading out to badminton and my friend introduced me to this artist since my knowledge of Christian hip-hop/rap is a bit lacking. And after listening to the interview with him on how he has personally terminated the life of his unborn child and how that led him to writing a song about it. Some of the things he says during his reflection were things that I can identify with and feel that it is possible for me to the same thing had I have been in his shoes then and leads me to a more complete understanding about the issues of abortion, that there is no easy answer.
Reminders of regrets come in many forms, some in an object like a bad deal of a house. Or the lack of an object like an empty bank account because we went all in for a "sure thing" that went south. But I think, the worst of them all comes in a form of a person. Whether it was a friend, a partner or a lover, just their very presence evokes so much feelings of regret. As much as you have move on from that regret, nothing short of the disappearance of the person will make the thoughts of regret go away.
(Ironically as I'm writing this, there are a bunch of drunk guys outside my house singing and I'm thinking whether they might regret their big night out on a Sunday)
I encounter people like that almost on a daily basis, one that resurrects my regrets and like clockwork, I go into the whole alternate reality role-play. What if I had done things differently? What if I did tell? What if I got terminal cancer (this one's my favourite)? And I would play them all like a recorded TV show simultaneously. I'd play them all to its logical end and I'll snap back to my own reality, feeling crappier than I was before my regrets surfaced.
Then I usually come to the conclusion that there is nothing likeable/loveable about me or anything good in the skills I have or in me. Then I will think about if the multiple universes theory is true, there must be a version of me that I would have not that regret. But will I be happy in this version of me? I suspect not, for there are many more regrets stored up for me in whatever version of me there is out there.
Regrets or rather the thought of regrets being evoked can only be resolved in one place and one place only. This is something that I must learn to do and rely on everyday. It is also the series that we are going through at church on happiness and the Beatitudes.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Matthew 5:3-4
***
I've first heard of Lecrae when I was heading out to badminton and my friend introduced me to this artist since my knowledge of Christian hip-hop/rap is a bit lacking. And after listening to the interview with him on how he has personally terminated the life of his unborn child and how that led him to writing a song about it. Some of the things he says during his reflection were things that I can identify with and feel that it is possible for me to the same thing had I have been in his shoes then and leads me to a more complete understanding about the issues of abortion, that there is no easy answer.
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Fifteen
Friday, January 2, 2015
at
1:08 AM
2014 has, by and large, been a very eventful and positive year for me. Everything from interviewing at Facebook in Hong Kong, the Epic North America trip, WWDC, the super whirlwind trip to Singapore for the wedding of the century and ending it with some great company, lots of drinks and some pretty hilarious board games. It is very unusual that I have an eventful year so there is going to be some pretty big shoes for 2015 to fill. Or any other year in fact. But I think the most important of all, is that it is the year that I felt God's presence in a way that I have never felt before. That you know without a shadow of a doubt that He is there. And that is supremely profound thing to experience.
It is also the year where lots of relationships have shifted. Equally as many people got married as there are people getting engaged, my sister including. Most people I know have never been happier with all the relationships that have moved around, whether personally or just the people around them. Everyone have something or someone to look forward to.
This is the year where I have decided to take that leap of faith in shaking up a lot of my relationships that I have (or what's left of them). Stepping down from playing music in a church that I have been in for the past decade has been a very difficult decision to make but have made it anyway. Which I think it is a good time for me to do that because I think it is about time that I try serving in other areas in my current church, one where I can now fully say that it is my home church. One where I will be spending more time trying to build the relationships that I have started there. Another aspect is that a friend that I have known for more than 5 years is moving interstate and she is the glue that binds a lot of us together. It is going to be a great challenge maintaining that relationship with the others now that she is no longer going to be around.
Now in the new year, more than ever, I will have a lot to deal with my relationships. I am terrible at maintaining them, not to mention that I am a terrible friend. But mostly, searching for a core group of friends is going to be difficult. It is said that you would have at most 5 really good friends in your lifetime, one that will know you inside out. I can confidently say that I have none for the longest time. Either that I am too lax with catching up with people or that people are not that interested in this square. Whatever the case, something has got to give.
So I welcome 2015 with open arms yet with caution that I will not become my own undoing.
***
3 more years.
It is also the year where lots of relationships have shifted. Equally as many people got married as there are people getting engaged, my sister including. Most people I know have never been happier with all the relationships that have moved around, whether personally or just the people around them. Everyone have something or someone to look forward to.
This is the year where I have decided to take that leap of faith in shaking up a lot of my relationships that I have (or what's left of them). Stepping down from playing music in a church that I have been in for the past decade has been a very difficult decision to make but have made it anyway. Which I think it is a good time for me to do that because I think it is about time that I try serving in other areas in my current church, one where I can now fully say that it is my home church. One where I will be spending more time trying to build the relationships that I have started there. Another aspect is that a friend that I have known for more than 5 years is moving interstate and she is the glue that binds a lot of us together. It is going to be a great challenge maintaining that relationship with the others now that she is no longer going to be around.
Now in the new year, more than ever, I will have a lot to deal with my relationships. I am terrible at maintaining them, not to mention that I am a terrible friend. But mostly, searching for a core group of friends is going to be difficult. It is said that you would have at most 5 really good friends in your lifetime, one that will know you inside out. I can confidently say that I have none for the longest time. Either that I am too lax with catching up with people or that people are not that interested in this square. Whatever the case, something has got to give.
So I welcome 2015 with open arms yet with caution that I will not become my own undoing.
***
3 more years.
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Version 3.0
Thursday, November 20, 2014
at
11:41 PM
People have a thing for birthdays. Most would celebrate the birthdays of others and some will go to great lengths to celebrate their own. I've been to some pretty epic birthday bashes and I generally had great fun celebrating. It is, of course, a major day for most people in their lives. Most would love to celebrate their birthdays with family and friends and would certainly look forward to it.
I, on the other hand, have grown up not really having a close idea of celebrating my own. For the first decade or so, birthdays have always been celebrated with family. For good reason too. Back then, school starts in December, which meant that we have our month long school holidays in November. That is usually a time that we would travel to Penang, which is where my parents were born and where most of my relatives lived. So I celebrated my birthday there. I remember the times that my birthday were held at fast food joints like McDonalds or A&W because that was considered as a well accepted place to celebrate your birthday. Especially when you are a kid.
The following two decades or so after that changed. Back then there was a major change such that school starts in January and so the month long holidays are in December. This meant that the end of the year exams were in November. And so the rest of my birthdays were celebrated at home, with my parents and my sister. Followed by stern warnings of going back to study for the exams. And so as time passes by, the thought of celebrating my birthday diminishes into almost nothingness. I've gotten to the point that my birthday is just another ordinary day. I haven't gotten to the point of forgetting my own birthday (although I do know a person who sometimes does that) but I certainly lived as though I did.
So even to my working days, I don't really celebrate my own birthday. I don't even tell people my birthday anymore unless severely prompted. I've managed to hide my birthday even from my community group for the 2.5 years that I have been in. I like the quiet and have grown accustomed to it.
This year however, was a little different. One thing led to another and that led to a lot more people figuring out my birthday (and you might have guessed that it has something to do with hedgehogs). And with the recent sermon at church on friendship, it has forced me to reevaluate my current position of not letting people know about my birthday, even to my friends. I've always take the position of being the passive one in the friendship and granted that I have lost quite a few a long the way because of that. I think it is about time that I know the joy of an active friendship.
That should be this decade's resolution.
***
Having being in the cross-fire of a relationship triangle is no fun at all. I can't decide which is worse, being in a relationship triangle or being the middleman to all three people in the triangle.
Even worse, I'm the armchair theorist. I have zero good advice because I have zero experience.
I, on the other hand, have grown up not really having a close idea of celebrating my own. For the first decade or so, birthdays have always been celebrated with family. For good reason too. Back then, school starts in December, which meant that we have our month long school holidays in November. That is usually a time that we would travel to Penang, which is where my parents were born and where most of my relatives lived. So I celebrated my birthday there. I remember the times that my birthday were held at fast food joints like McDonalds or A&W because that was considered as a well accepted place to celebrate your birthday. Especially when you are a kid.
The following two decades or so after that changed. Back then there was a major change such that school starts in January and so the month long holidays are in December. This meant that the end of the year exams were in November. And so the rest of my birthdays were celebrated at home, with my parents and my sister. Followed by stern warnings of going back to study for the exams. And so as time passes by, the thought of celebrating my birthday diminishes into almost nothingness. I've gotten to the point that my birthday is just another ordinary day. I haven't gotten to the point of forgetting my own birthday (although I do know a person who sometimes does that) but I certainly lived as though I did.
So even to my working days, I don't really celebrate my own birthday. I don't even tell people my birthday anymore unless severely prompted. I've managed to hide my birthday even from my community group for the 2.5 years that I have been in. I like the quiet and have grown accustomed to it.
This year however, was a little different. One thing led to another and that led to a lot more people figuring out my birthday (and you might have guessed that it has something to do with hedgehogs). And with the recent sermon at church on friendship, it has forced me to reevaluate my current position of not letting people know about my birthday, even to my friends. I've always take the position of being the passive one in the friendship and granted that I have lost quite a few a long the way because of that. I think it is about time that I know the joy of an active friendship.
That should be this decade's resolution.
***
Having being in the cross-fire of a relationship triangle is no fun at all. I can't decide which is worse, being in a relationship triangle or being the middleman to all three people in the triangle.
Even worse, I'm the armchair theorist. I have zero good advice because I have zero experience.
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My Seat's Getting Warm
Thursday, November 6, 2014
at
12:08 AM
I have recently walked into an improvised trap set up at a friend's place on wanting to find out about the little incidents that have been brewing up in the house lately. Acting as the middleman and the purveyor of information to a household that seems a bit of a busybody but it turns out there are motives for wanting to extract information out of me. Once again, I am called upon my services to listen to the various relationship situations and to give my opinion about it.
I am really not comfortable about all of this, particularly because of the secrets that I have to keep as well as the moral dilemma about this rather complex situation. The other people in the room don't seem to think so, but I, on the other hand, am not so sure. It is very hard to remain unbiased about these sorts of things and it is just all round hard.
I ended up spending the rest of the night talking to one of them about the whole thing and if there was a time that clichéd relationship quotes were to come, this was the time. Everything from "nice guys finish last" to "guys are just jerks" and even to the somewhat controversial "it's not easy being a guy". We analysed every bit of the situation and try to read between the lines on what all of that meant, which in our case wasn't too difficult at all. But I have a strange feeling that someone is going to get burned in the end. They almost always do.
At the end of the day, I'm just an armchair theorist. A pretty seasoned one at that too.
The first time I have heard of the term was when a friend introduced me to this Japanese skit that has the appearance of seriousness but it's just comedy. And funnily enough, it was a 4 part skit on relationships, particularly how to get yourself a partner. I highly encourage you to watch it, it is hilarious. The term appears in the third part.
It is one of those things where you sort of understand what it means but not really. Took me a long time to figure out what it really means and it turns out I do this all the time. This is usually the approach I take when it comes to people. It's a terrible thing to do most of the time but I still do it anyway. I just like the idea that I am right in a deluded sort of way.
So really I just like thinking about stuff but not really like to get my hands dirty. That is quite possibly the source of all my problems.
***
Since Christmas season is coming soon, I'd like to get away from all the commercialisation of Christmas and also the same ol' Christmas songs playing in the shopping malls and in church. Which leads me to my current ear worm of the week, Giants Must Fall. Great Singaporean band mashing up songs together with a haunting melody on a timeless Christmas song.
Chills on my spine.
***
Another great listen is the new album from Austin Stone Worship, The Reveille Volume 2. Really great instrumental album and if you are a great fan of Explosions in the Sky and The Album Leaf, this is right up your alley. Something unique too, very few church bands venture into the instrumental part (apart from those cheesy piano based instrumentals). What I think most people forget is that it is just as important to the things that are not said as well as the things that are said. And there is a severe lack of good emotive instrumental albums out there among all the usual church bands which can speak volumes as well.
I am really not comfortable about all of this, particularly because of the secrets that I have to keep as well as the moral dilemma about this rather complex situation. The other people in the room don't seem to think so, but I, on the other hand, am not so sure. It is very hard to remain unbiased about these sorts of things and it is just all round hard.
I ended up spending the rest of the night talking to one of them about the whole thing and if there was a time that clichéd relationship quotes were to come, this was the time. Everything from "nice guys finish last" to "guys are just jerks" and even to the somewhat controversial "it's not easy being a guy". We analysed every bit of the situation and try to read between the lines on what all of that meant, which in our case wasn't too difficult at all. But I have a strange feeling that someone is going to get burned in the end. They almost always do.
At the end of the day, I'm just an armchair theorist. A pretty seasoned one at that too.
The first time I have heard of the term was when a friend introduced me to this Japanese skit that has the appearance of seriousness but it's just comedy. And funnily enough, it was a 4 part skit on relationships, particularly how to get yourself a partner. I highly encourage you to watch it, it is hilarious. The term appears in the third part.
It is one of those things where you sort of understand what it means but not really. Took me a long time to figure out what it really means and it turns out I do this all the time. This is usually the approach I take when it comes to people. It's a terrible thing to do most of the time but I still do it anyway. I just like the idea that I am right in a deluded sort of way.
So really I just like thinking about stuff but not really like to get my hands dirty. That is quite possibly the source of all my problems.
***
Since Christmas season is coming soon, I'd like to get away from all the commercialisation of Christmas and also the same ol' Christmas songs playing in the shopping malls and in church. Which leads me to my current ear worm of the week, Giants Must Fall. Great Singaporean band mashing up songs together with a haunting melody on a timeless Christmas song.
Chills on my spine.
***
Another great listen is the new album from Austin Stone Worship, The Reveille Volume 2. Really great instrumental album and if you are a great fan of Explosions in the Sky and The Album Leaf, this is right up your alley. Something unique too, very few church bands venture into the instrumental part (apart from those cheesy piano based instrumentals). What I think most people forget is that it is just as important to the things that are not said as well as the things that are said. And there is a severe lack of good emotive instrumental albums out there among all the usual church bands which can speak volumes as well.
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Churchy Stuff
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
at
12:31 AM
Last Sunday, we witnessed another friend from our Community Group getting baptised at the church anniversary. Since I have joined the Community Group about 2.5 years ago, I have witnessed 3 people who got baptised from my group and it has been a real privilege to see them grow in their faith leading up to their baptisms and the lives they live after that.
The first one who got baptised is a hilarious person who really helps organise a lot of the trips that we have as a group but she's got substance in her faith. To see her go on to lead Bible study in the group is just amazing. She also regularly goes on "fights" with another person in the group and together they remind me of those minions from Despicable Me. The resemblance is uncanny, both wears glasses, one tall and lanky, the other short. Both of them bring much laughter to the group.
The second is a student who came to our group all quiet and was really new to Christianity. At first, I was a little worried that this might be a little overwhelming and that he might not stick to the group, as I have seen too many people being like that. But he rapidly understood and became more active in the group and it is always an encouragement to see how he has matured in the faith. This is also the person who has and does somewhat random things, like taking selfies inside cupboards in Ikea, dressing up as a pirate on Talk Like A Pirate day and cycling to 3 different franchises of doughnut shops for free doughnuts and Spider Man thermals when we went on a ski trip.
And the one who got baptised on Sunday, she is an Australian who is more Asian than most Asians. I don't mean that she can speak better Mandarin than most Asians. She dabbles in a lot of different subcultures like goth, emo, punk, lolita and a touch of cosplaying, mainly the Japanese variety. Knows Japanese and Chinese culture and history better than anyone I know. Still plays Magic The Gathering, Pokemon and Final Fantasy games. Has audio engineering under her belt and plays bass and is proud of the fact that she married a rock star (or at least to her) and is his biggest fan. And yet her devotion to reading the Bible or wanting to know more about the Bible is just as strong, if not stronger. And she cares for a lot of us in the group which is just amazing. She also says the funniest things and sometimes with no filter on. She once thought that the two new people in the group, both from New Zealand, were secretly dating and when she found out that they weren't, she subtly try to make it happen. Because expectation did not match reality. She also asked me to try and date a person that I mentioned quite a bit and when I told her that she was married, she replied with a matching face saying "Well that's disappointing!"
It's not only the great and awesome things that God has been doing in our church over the past few years but also what God has been doing in our community groups as well. To see these three people and the rest of the people who make up the community group go forward makes me glad I stayed on.
***
It seems that Hillsong have been putting up some good content on their site/blog, something that I would have thought to be a bit far fetched to the 5-years-ago-me. Like this on worship leading. I bet more than 80% of churches I've been to don't really do half of the things there or not with the right mindset. This is not rocket science people.
***
The gold standard for mixing songs with sermons has always been Shane and Shane's Embracing Accusation with John Piper delivering the sermon snippet. I'm not a real fan of the song used below, but coupled with Matt Chandler and John Piper's sermon snippets I'd say it ranks up there with Embracing Accusation.
***
This article came to me in a very timely fashion on stepping down in ministry. It is worth the read.
The first one who got baptised is a hilarious person who really helps organise a lot of the trips that we have as a group but she's got substance in her faith. To see her go on to lead Bible study in the group is just amazing. She also regularly goes on "fights" with another person in the group and together they remind me of those minions from Despicable Me. The resemblance is uncanny, both wears glasses, one tall and lanky, the other short. Both of them bring much laughter to the group.
The second is a student who came to our group all quiet and was really new to Christianity. At first, I was a little worried that this might be a little overwhelming and that he might not stick to the group, as I have seen too many people being like that. But he rapidly understood and became more active in the group and it is always an encouragement to see how he has matured in the faith. This is also the person who has and does somewhat random things, like taking selfies inside cupboards in Ikea, dressing up as a pirate on Talk Like A Pirate day and cycling to 3 different franchises of doughnut shops for free doughnuts and Spider Man thermals when we went on a ski trip.
And the one who got baptised on Sunday, she is an Australian who is more Asian than most Asians. I don't mean that she can speak better Mandarin than most Asians. She dabbles in a lot of different subcultures like goth, emo, punk, lolita and a touch of cosplaying, mainly the Japanese variety. Knows Japanese and Chinese culture and history better than anyone I know. Still plays Magic The Gathering, Pokemon and Final Fantasy games. Has audio engineering under her belt and plays bass and is proud of the fact that she married a rock star (or at least to her) and is his biggest fan. And yet her devotion to reading the Bible or wanting to know more about the Bible is just as strong, if not stronger. And she cares for a lot of us in the group which is just amazing. She also says the funniest things and sometimes with no filter on. She once thought that the two new people in the group, both from New Zealand, were secretly dating and when she found out that they weren't, she subtly try to make it happen. Because expectation did not match reality. She also asked me to try and date a person that I mentioned quite a bit and when I told her that she was married, she replied with a matching face saying "Well that's disappointing!"
It's not only the great and awesome things that God has been doing in our church over the past few years but also what God has been doing in our community groups as well. To see these three people and the rest of the people who make up the community group go forward makes me glad I stayed on.
***
It seems that Hillsong have been putting up some good content on their site/blog, something that I would have thought to be a bit far fetched to the 5-years-ago-me. Like this on worship leading. I bet more than 80% of churches I've been to don't really do half of the things there or not with the right mindset. This is not rocket science people.
***
The gold standard for mixing songs with sermons has always been Shane and Shane's Embracing Accusation with John Piper delivering the sermon snippet. I'm not a real fan of the song used below, but coupled with Matt Chandler and John Piper's sermon snippets I'd say it ranks up there with Embracing Accusation.
***
This article came to me in a very timely fashion on stepping down in ministry. It is worth the read.
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