Prayer

Prayer begins in a restless heart. Listen to its stirring.

Prayer is a yearning for one’s true home. Follow its lead.

Prayer is like a garden. Tend it and it will be fruitful.

Don’t worry about works or formulas. Prayer is a listening.

Prayer has many methods. Do it your own way.

Pray always, but schedule special times too. The spirit, like the body, needs formal exercise.

Let your prayer be short. Love needs few words.

Pray where you are. God is everywhere.

If you want something, ask yourself, “Do I want what God wants?” God wants your true goods.

If you begin to feel advanced in the way of prayer, think again.

If you need something, pray it. God desires your goods.

Remember: your work and struggles are not unholy. Pray and God will come to you just as you are.

When you’re praying becomes dry and routine, keep at it. Parched earth welcomes the rain.

Pray when you’re worried. Prayer puts everything in perspective.

When life is cruel and unjust, keep praying. God is the victim, not the cause.

Touch the joys and troubles of your friends and neighbors. Shared life is a shared prayer.

When you are overawed before Mystery, just be. God’s spirit is praying within you.

When God seems far away, keep praying. Light can be blinding.

Pray in your resting. Sleep is the prayer of a creature secure in God’s love.

Pray in your rising. Each dawn draws you closer to the light.

Use noisy times for prayer. Sound is the clamor of creation seeking God.

If prayer makes you passive and indifferent, it isn’t a prayer. True prayer will bear fruit in care and service.

God’s life runs deeper that your feelings or experiences.

When sickness, age, pain, or worry steals your concentration, relax. God is an understanding friend.

When you receive bad news, take heart. Praying uncovers the spark in the cinders.

If you don’t like somebody, pray for them. Prayer reveals the hidden God.

When prayer invites you to take risks, have courage. God will uphold you.

If, for any reason, you cannot pray, relax. The desire to pray is already a prayer.

Use quiet tomes for prayer. Silence draws you to the Infinite.

When you sin and continue to fail, pray anyway. God keeps on loving you.

Bring your anger to prayer. Hot metal can be molded.

When your heart is bursting with thanks, just be. God’s spirit is praying within you.

Pray when you feel lonely. Prayer puts you in company of angels.

To pray is to breathe. Do it deeply and you will be filled with life.

When you feel sad or sorry, weep. Tears are a prayer of the heart.

Offenses and Forgiveness

Last night at OCF bible study i had the chance to be part of it and listen to the leaders messing with our heads=). The topic that night was "Offenses and Forgiveness". I kinda liked the talk because it's really helpful in life. Here's a short summary.




Offenses by definition means being hurtful and doing others wrong. To offend is to hurt by intention. Sometimes it's not. Misunderstanding can happen too, especially if one culture crosses another. Offense is also resentment and failure to show regard to other people's feelings.







Forgiveness is the ability to absolve payment of debt, by giving away the right to earn something back from the person that offended you. It is also to renounce anger or resentment. Forgiveness doesn't NECESSARILY mean forgetting. Forgive and forget is perhaps a misunderstood statement. Can you offend or be offended and hope it all goes away? Can you try and shove the unwanted memory? It's difficult.




Forgiveness is a one way traffic. Imagine 2 people. One being the offender and being offended. Forgiveness works one way. The offended forgives but the offender stands by his principles. Therefore forgiveness doesn't settle just everything. RECONCILIATION does. It is something that involves both parties. To forgive is easy, say sorry and all is over, to reconcile is not, talk it over, compromise and resolve the issue.







God sent Jesus to this world to reconcile our sins. He did not just forgive us with the word of mouth or the snap of His finger. He could, but He didn't. Instead, He sent His son to die for us, so that in return, we may reconcile with others. In Jesus's sacrifice, our sins are forgiven.



Read Matthew 18:21-35




If we set revenge, we are making ourselves judges and passing judgements which rightfully only belongs to God.

Uni Games Review

Uni Games is an annual event in New Zealand in which all universities and polytechnics send their best teams to compete (not in this years' case). This year, it was held in Rotorua, home to the Waiariki Institute of Technology. In summary, events were held in different places from Tuesday through Thursdays with the opening ceremony on Monday and closing on Thursday night.

Journey to Rotorua

The badminton event was held in the Utuhina Badminton Hall. In my opinion, i think the halls' lighting is excellent. The format was a team event. 7 mens team followed bu 4 womens team. (You would think they would be more). Massey was placed in Pool A together with Auckland 1 and Auckland 2 and Victoria 2 while Pool B consisted of Monash (Australia), Victoria 1 and Auckland 3.

Utuhina Badminton Centre

Massey started off well, beating Auckland 2 5-1 and then Victoria 6-0. 2 doubles match preceded by 4 singles. I was playing the 2nd double and the 4th single. That was day 1.

Andrew and Ian. 1st doubles pair, 2nd and 1st singles respectively.

I'm exhausted

The 2nd day we took on Auckland 1 and lost to them 1-5. That was enough to put us 2nd in our pool. However, organisers did not told us that there was no semis...gutted. We were heading to 3th/4th placings on Thursday.

Victoria 2nd singles Karl vs Monash 2nd singles Kelvin

So on the final day, we lo the bronze to Victoria 1, last year's defending champion. Better luck next year then.

Cameraman with the finalists. Auckland womens 1 and Monash womens 1. Monash mens at the back

My score for the games:
Doubles: W 2 L 2
Singles : W3 L 1

Deja Vu

Where have i seen these before????????
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That's right!! On Kennysia.com

Random

What's this Eugene?? Buying baby socks??

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Neh, just using them as pouches for my new MP4 and handphone=)

Student moments

I had a typical badminton training session today from 2-4pm for the upcoming Uni Games next week in Rotorua. As 4pm ticks closer, i told my friend that we should leave now (3.50pm) so we can catch the 4pm bus to town. So we did. We were about 3-4 min away from the closest bus stop when we saw the bus coming in the opposite direction heading towards the bus stop. Looking at each other, we ran.....like there was no tomorrow. My friend said while running, "It's not yet time le, why so early??" I saw another bus behind the first bus and said, "There!!! That one!!"

Running our lungs out, we..................................failed to reach the bus stop in time. So....we walked with despair to the main terminal on campus, another 5 min down to catch the next one. Along the way just past the chaplaincy, she said, "Hey, lets wait inside there la, got sofa,". I did not object.

Once inside i told her to check the bus stop to see if there was any bus left there. It's within listening distance by the way. She told me that she could hear a bus. So i told her immediately to the bus stop and we tookour bags and run for it hoping it might be the bus we thought we missed. So we ran to the bus stop and when we saw the bus making a turn coming at us, we quickly turn around and ran the other way to the initial bus stop.

So we ran.......................................the bus passed us....again....it stopped at the other stop and big big thankfully, there were people waiting there as well....we made it!

Panting and struggling for air in the bus after we sat down, she said,

"Never give up the first time you failed"

P.S. It was her fault