bossdude's Xanga

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:02:21 GMT

Streams in the Desert - July 16

I said: "Let me walk in the field";
God said: 'Nay, walk in the town";
I said: "There are no flowers there";
He said: "No flowers, but a crown."

I said: "But the sky is black,
There is nothing but noise and din";
But He wept as He sent me back,
"There is more," He said, "there is sin

I said: "But the air is thick,
And fogs are veiling the sun";
He answered: "Yet souls are sick,
And souls in the dark undone."

I said: "I shall miss the light,
And friends will miss me, they say";
He answered me, "Choose tonight,
If I am to miss you, or they."

I pleaded for time to be given;
He said: "Is it hard to decide?
It will not seem hard in Heaven
To have, followed the steps of your Guide."

I cast one look at the fields,
Then set my face to the town;
He said: "My child, do you yield?
Will you leave the flowers for the crown?"

Then into His hand went mine,
And into my heart came He;
And I walk in a light Divine,
The path I had feared to see.

--George MacDonald

Silent Helper

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:10:02 GMT

I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things. - Isaiah 25:1

The discovery of penicillin revolutionized health care. Prior to the 1940s, bacterial infections were often fatal. Since then, penicillin has saved countless lives by killing harmful bacteria. The men who recognized its potential and developed it for widespread use won a Nobel Prize in 1945.

Long before the discovery of penicillin, other silent killers were at work saving lives by destroying bacteria. These silent killers are white blood cells. These hard workers are God’s way of protecting us from disease. No one knows how many invasions they have stopped or how many lives they have saved. They receive little recognition for all the good they do.

The Lord gets similar treatment. He often gets blamed when something goes wrong, but He seldom gets credit for all the things that go right. Every day people get up, get dressed, drive to work or school or the grocery store, and return safely to their families. No one knows how many times God has protected us from harm. But when there is a tragedy, we ask, “Where was God?”

When I consider all the wonderful things that God does silently on my behalf each day (Isa. 25:1), I realize that my list of praises should be much longer than my list of petitions. - Julie Ackerman Link

God’s goodness undergirds our lives
In many silent ways;
His blessings are beyond compare -
For them we give Him praise. - D. De Haan

God keeps giving us reasons to praise Him.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:21:01 GMT

Green tea frappuccino from Starbucks is disgusting.

15 years of agony ...

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:25:57 GMT

... NO MORE!

I've been supporting Spain since I was a little boy, without any real reason, while most other HK people support more popular and stronger teams like England, Brazil, Argentina, etc. Spain was always one of the favorites in big tournaments like World Cup or Euro, but also always underachieved. It's as if the laid-back nature of their culture would never let them win anything big. Finally, finally, no more psychological barriers, no more underachievement. FINALLY, I can chant:
"Spain THE CHAMPIONS!!!!!!"

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 09:34:31 GMT

For everyone who's having difficulties or doubts or sadness or an important decision to make or entering the next stage in life - including myself:

⁷To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
⁹But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
¹⁰That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

God’s Greater Goal

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:02:23 GMT

I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. - 2 Corinthians 12:8

I have an unmarried friend who prays earnestly for God to lessen or even remove his sexual drive. It causes him constant temptation. As gently as I can, I tell him I doubt that God will answer his prayer the way he wants. More likely, he will learn fidelity the way anyone learns it, by relying on discipline, community, and constant pleas of dependence.

For whatever reason, God has let this broken world endure in its fallen state for a very long time. God seems to value character more than our comfort, often using the very elements that cause us the most discomfort as His tools in fashioning that character. This was true in the life of the apostle Paul, who prayed fruitlessly that his mysterious “thorn in the flesh” be removed (2 Cor. 12:8).

In my own life, I am trying to remain open to new realities, not blaming God when my expectations go unmet but trusting Him to lead me through failures toward renewal and growth. I am seeking a trust that “the Father knows best” in how this world is run. I see that the way in which I may want God to act does not achieve the results I might expect.

When God sent His own Son - sinless, full of grace and healing - we killed Him. God Himself allows what He does not prefer, to achieve some greater goal. - Philip Yancey

God uses our difficulties to develop His Son’s likeness in us.

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:20:17 GMT

I can think of younger days when living for my life
Was everything a man could want to do
I could never see tomorrow
But I was never told about the sorrow

And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?

How can you mend a this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart
And let me live again.

I can still feel the breeze that rustles through the trees
And misty memories of days gone by
We could never see tomorrow
No one said a word about the sorrow

And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?

How can you mend this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart
And let me live again

會呼吸的痛

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:33:20 GMT

在東京鐵塔　第一次眺望
看燈火模仿　墜落的星光
我終於到達　但卻更悲傷
一個人完成　我們的夢想

你總說　時間還很多　你可以等我
以前我不懂得　未必明天　就有以後

想念是會呼吸的痛　它活在我身上所有角落
哼你愛的歌會痛　看你的信會痛　連沉默也痛
遺憾是會呼吸的痛　它流在血液中來回滾動
後悔不貼心會痛　恨不懂你會痛
想見不能見最痛

沒看你臉上　張揚過哀傷
那是種多麼　寂寞的倔強
你拆了城牆　讓我去流浪
在原地等我　把自己捆綁

你沒說　你也會軟弱　需要倚賴我
我就裝不曉得　自由移動　自我地過

我發誓不再說謊了多愛你就會抱你多緊的
我的微笑都假了靈魂像飄浮著你在就好了
我發誓不讓你等候陪你做想做的無論什麼
我越來越像貝殼怕心被人觸碰你回來那就好了

能重來那就好了

No computer for one night

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:29:01 GMT

One night between the sale of my 22" monitor and the arrival of my 26". It's really an unique experience. It was a really quiet night. No distraction. No wasted time. No nothing-more-to-browse-but-still-sit-in-front-of-the-monitor. I wish I have more nights like this ... but the monitor arrived already ... and ... it's not big enough. I wish I got a 28" instead =(

Commencement

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:13:12 GMT